Department for Transport

Railways: Greater Manchester

Jo Platt: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent discussions he has had with (a) Transport for the North and (b) Transport for Greater Manchester on rail connectivity​ in Leigh; and what steps he is taking to improve rail connectivity in that region.

Paul Maynard: The Secretary of State has regular discussions with Transport for the North (TfN) and Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM), where a range of issues are discussed. The Government’s Rail investment and HS2 programmes will lead to improved connectivity for the Greater Manchester area, including Wigan, Warrington, Bolton and central Manchester. Leigh will benefit from this. TfGM are advancing their wider plans for connectivity across the city region through their Greater Manchester 2040 Transport Strategy and TfN has now been established as a statutory sub-national transport body to assess transport priorities in the region.

Motor Vehicles: Fuels

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what information his Department holds on evidence that premium diesel and premium petrol create less emissions and deliver improved miles per gallon, when all other engine performance variables are the same; and if he will make a statement.

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what information his Department holds on evidence that premium diesel and premium petrol lead to increased engine life; and if he will make a statement.

Jesse Norman: Fuels sold in the UK must conform to the Motor Fuels (Composition and content) Regulations 1999. Producers also voluntarily comply with the relevant British Standards. The Department has not undertaken any research on the comparative performance of premium diesel or premium petrol sold by retailers on UK forecourts. It is for manufacturers and retailers to supply evidence for any claimed benefits from fuels they define as “premium”. The Government welcomes any improvements in fuels that reduce the environmental impact of transport.

Driverless Vehicles

Neil Coyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans he has to encourage, the continuing trials of semi-autonomous, ground based Personal Delivery Devices; and if he will make a statement.

Jesse Norman: Through its world-leading Code of Practice for testing, the Government is encouraging the trialling of automated vehicle technologies in the UK. The Code is clear that trials must comply with all UK law. It is for testers to satisfy themselves that they are in full compliance, and they should speak to the relevant road owners and enforcement agencies. The Government has no plans relating to any specific current trials of semi-autonomous, ground based Personal Delivery Devices.

Driverless Vehicles

Neil Coyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when he plans to publish an updated Code of Practice for the operation of autonomous vehicles: and if he will make a statement.

Jesse Norman: The Government’s Centre for Connected and Autonomous Vehicles will be engaging with the public and developers on the planned update to the Code of Practice in early 2018, with a view to publishing the updated version in Summer 2018.

Bus Services: Disability

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what additional resources his Department has made available to improve enforcement action on bus operators to monitor compliance with the Public Service Vehicles Accessibility Regulations.

Jesse Norman: The Public Service Vehicles Accessibility Regulations (PSVAR) have prompted a step-change in the accessibility of buses and coaches over the past sixteen years, and it is essential that the high levels of accessibility which disabled passengers now expect are maintained. The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) enforces PSVAR on behalf of DfT, with £100,000 allocated to PSVAR-related enforcement activity. DVSA inspects vehicles prior to their use on local and scheduled services, and conducts targeted enforcement activity at the roadside to identify non-compliance. The Department continues to work with DVSA to incentivise compliance and to improve the identification of non-compliant vehicles.

Roads: Repairs and Maintenance

Alex Burghart: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to tackle pot holes.

Jesse Norman: Potholes are a menace to all road users and the Government is taking the steps to help local highway authorities improve the condition of the roads for which they are responsible, including tackling potholes. Accordingly, the Government is providing £296 million between 2016 and 2021 to local highway authorities in England, outside London, to help repair potholes and stop them forming. This funding has recently been topped up with an additional £46 million, announced in the 2017 Budget on 22 November 2017. This funding is also in addition to just under £6 billion which the Government is providing to local highway authorities for local highway maintenance in England, outside London between 2015 and 2021. The Department for Transport also announced in January 2017 that it is undertaking a highly innovative trial on the way potholes are identified and managed, working in partnership with Thurrock, York and Wiltshire councils and two private sector SMEs, Soenecs and Gaist. This trial allows high-definition cameras to be mounted to refuse collection vehicles and by deploying innovative intelligent software will identify road surface problems before they become potholes. The trial recently won an award for the best use of new technology in the highways sector.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Jo Platt: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to ensure the delivery of High Speed 2 uses resources manufactured in the UK; and what the Government's target is for the proportion of such resources manufactured in the UK.

Paul Maynard: HS2 Ltd has made it a priority to engage with British firms through trade associations and business networks so that they are ready to compete for the opportunities offered by HS2 as part of an open, fair and transparent procurement process. The HS2 procurement process has energised the supply chain and created opportunities for businesses large and small right across the country. HS2 Ltd ensures an open and fair procurement process which complies with UK procurement law and Government policies, including those for steel. It is estimated that 25,000 jobs will be supported by the construction of HS2, including 2,000 new apprenticeships.

Road Works

Sir Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much has accrued to the public purse from utility companies who have been late in completing roadworks in each local government area in the last 12 months for which data is available; and if he will make a statement.

Jesse Norman: Local highway authorities can, using section 74 of the New Roads and Street Works Act 1991 and regulations introduced in 2012, charge utilities for works that overrun. For example the maximum charge on the most significant parts of the road network is set at £5,000 for each of the first 3 days and then £10,000 for each subsequent day. The Department for Transport does not collect data on the amount collected by each local authority.

Transport: Technology

Andrew Percy: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the potential benefits of installing Hyperloop technology on national transport infrastructure.

Paul Maynard: The Department’s Scientific Advisory Council recently published its assessment of the Hyperloop concept on the 9th November 2017. This concluded that, while Hyperloop has the potential to transform transport globally, a number of considerable technical and commercial challenges remain which mean that its implementation is likely to be several decades away.

Department for Communities and Local Government

Children: Social Services

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what the change in funding from her Department was for (a) Bolton Metropolitan Borough Council, (b) Bury Metropolitan Borough Council, (c) Manchester City Council, (d) Oldham Metropolitan Borough Council, (e) Rochdale Metropolitan Borough Council, (f) Salford City Council, (g) Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council, (h) Tameside Metropolitan Borough Council, (i) Trafford Metropolitan Borough Council and (j) Wigan Metropolitan Borough Council for children's social care in (i) 2014-15, (ii) 2015-16, (iii) 2016-17 and (iv) 2017-18; and what the average reduction in local authority funding in England was for children's social care in each of those years.

Mr Marcus Jones: Full details of the councils' funding are detailed in the Local Government Finance Settlement, which is published on the Government's website at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/core-spending-power-final-local-government-finance-settlement-2017-to-2018Funding for children's social care is not ring fenced because this allows local authorities, who are independent of central Government, to manage their budgets in line with local priorities. We believe it is important that councils are able to set the policy agenda and target spending to match.

Grenfell Tower: Fires

Mr David Lammy: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many local authorities and housing associations have approached his Department for funding to support remedial fire safety work in tower blocks; how many applications to his Department for funding to support remedial fire safety work in tower blocks have been (a) approved and (b) rejected, and what funds his Department has available to fund remedial fire safety work in tower blocks.

Alok Sharma: We have been clear that building owners are responsible for funding fire safety measures, but councils should contact us if they have any concerns about funding fire safety works. Government will consider financial flexibilities for local authorities who need to undertake essential fire safety work to make a building safe.36 local authorities have been in touch with the Department regarding work to ensure fire safety in tower blocks. We have not rejected any requests for support for essential works to make a building fire safe, and will consider further detail provided by local authorities as they provide it.Housing associations that are concerned about their ability to meet these costs should contact the social housing Regulator. So far, no housing associations have contacted the Regulator with concerns about their financial viability as a result of having to meet these costs.

Grenfell Tower: Fires

Mr David Lammy: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what estimate he has made of the length of time it will take to rehouse all former residents of Grenfell Tower.

Alok Sharma: Our priority is to get everyone who has lost their home permanently rehoused as soon as possible, in the local area if that is what they wish. The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea (RBKC) has committed to providing a home for all former residents of Grenfell Tower and Grenfell Walk within 12 months of the fire.It is important that the re-housing proceeds at a pace which respects the needs, wants and situations of the survivors. RBKC is focussing on identifying local properties, so that survivors can remain in the area over the long term, if that is what they want. Survivors are being offered suitable permanent homes as soon as possible.We have been clear with RBKC that we want to see all families able to leave hotels and into more settled accommodation as soon as possible. Over half of the households from Grenfell Tower and Grenfell Walk have already either moved in or accepted either a temporary or permanent new home.

Grenfell Tower: Fires

Mr David Lammy: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how much funding the Government provided to the Grenfell Tower residents discretionary fund; and how much has been provided in assistance to each family.

Mr David Lammy: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what funds have been contributed to the Grenfell Tower fire emergency fund; and how much of that sum has been distributed to survivors.

Alok Sharma: The Government’s highest priority is making sure that survivors and communities receive all the support they need. To date, the Government has committed over £20 million in support of those affected by the Grenfell Tower fire including:Help for survivors through the £5 million Grenfell Tower Residents’ Discretionary Fund.A commitment to funding hotel bills for up to the first year for households who lost their homes in Grenfell Tower and Grenfell Walk, and towards funding rent, service charges and core utility bills for those households for the rent free period.The Government has additionally allocated just over £2.3 million to support local voluntary organisations: the Community Core Cost Fund supported charities and other groups helping those affected by the fire and went towards things such as extra equipment, food, supplies and extra staff; the Community Anchor Fund supported those organisations that support volunteers and smaller groups; facilitate the development of community voices; and advocate on behalf of the community and the Children and Young People’s Fund which provides services to young people and families.At the November Budget the Government announced further £28 million to enable the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea to enable them to help support the victims and communities. This will go towards providing ongoing mental and emotional support, community spaces for those affected and investment in the Lancaster West estate.Additionally, a total of over £21 million has been raised in charitable donations by the public of which £13.2 million has been distributed so far, the rest of these donations are being managed by the Charity Commission which is working with various charities.

Grenfell Tower: Fires

Mr David Lammy: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department has taken to speed up the process of rehousing Grenfell Tower fire survivors.

Alok Sharma: The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea (RBKC) is leading on re-housing the survivors of the fire in Grenfell Tower, and my Department is both supporting and challenging the Council to meet published commitments.My Department has supported the Council to develop a broad new package of housing support to help the former residents of Grenfell Tower and Grenfell Walk start to rebuild their lives. Residents will not be expected to pay rent or service charges until 1 July 2019. The same offer will be extended to Council Tax, as well as the core utilities (gas, electricity and water).My Department and RBKC are working together to support residents to move into self-contained interim accommodation or permanent housing by providing a weekly transition allowance for the first three months. This will then be followed by a further three months support. To ensure that the work is carried out to an agreed standard and in a timely manner, the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government chairs the Ministerial Recovery Group, which provides scrutiny of the support provided to the Grenfell survivors by the Council and from across Government.The Secretary of State also received independent assurance on the wider recovery work of the Council from the independent Grenfell Recovery Taskforce. Following the fire, the Secretary of State set up the Taskforce to provide assurance that RBKC has the capacity and capability to deliver an effective long term recovery plan for its residents, taking into account their views. The Taskforce made a number of recommendations in its first report, and they are closely monitoring RBKC’s progress against these recommendations. The Secretary of State has asked the Taskforce to ensure proper action is taken and to report again in the New Year, which will again be shared with the House. A copy of their first report is available in full in the Library of the House and at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/657336/171031_Independent_Grenfell_Recovery_Taskforce_initial_report.pdf.

Public Sector: Land

Sir Michael Fallon: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if he will introduce measures to ensure that developers meet existing commitments before further public land is released to those developers.

Alok Sharma: The Government is clear that where sites have planning permission they should move ahead as quickly as possible. The most important step is for developers and authorities to work closely together, at a local level, to ensure that, once planning permission is granted, building on those sites is taken forward as quickly as possible.The Public Land for Housing Programmes was designed to specifically address the shortage of land for housing and we want to ensure that homes are built on that land. We are now monitoring the progress of sites sold through both the 2011-15 and 2015-20 Public Land for Housing Programmes, in order to estimate the number of homes under construction and completed.At Autumn Budget, the Government announced that a review panel will be set up, chaired by Sir Oliver Letwin MP. This review will explain the significant gap between housing completions and the amount of land allocated or permissioned and make recommendations for closing the gap. The Review will provide an interim report in time for Spring Statement 2018 and a final report at Budget 2018.

Derelict Land

Sir Michael Fallon: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if he will introduce measures to prioritise all brownfield sites for development in (a) Kent and (b) England.

Alok Sharma: The redevelopment of brownfield land, if not of high environmental value, is already strongly encouraged in our National Planning Policy Framework. The Framework also asks local authorities to consider including policies in their Local Plans to support the reuse of brownfield land. However, each brownfield site is different, and local authorities need to consider whether the land is available, viable and suitable to build on, taking into account the specific features of each site.Government has introduced a number of measures to increase the uptake of brownfield land, including accelerating disposal of public sector brownfield sites for housing, extending permitted development to give new life to thousands of under-used buildings, reforming the Community Infrastructure Levy arrangements to incentivise building reuse, and launching the £3 billion Home Building Fund to help unblock more brownfield land for new homes. Each local authority is also required to publish an easy-to-access local Brownfield Register by the end of 2017. This will enable house builders, custom builders and investors to identify sites suitable for new homes.Our Housing White Paper consultation included proposals for further increasing housing on suitable brownfield land. We will publish our conclusions and propose any revisions to the Framework as soon as possible in 2018.

Housing: Construction

Sir Michael Fallon: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department takes to balance protection of the countryside with putting community interests at the centre of Government house-building policy.

Alok Sharma: The Government’s objectives for planning are set out in the National Planning Policy Framework. The Framework includes rigorous protection for designated land such as Green Belt and requires planning policies to enhance biodiversity at a landscape scale. It asks local authorities, in balancing all the relevant issues, to recognise the character and beauty of the countryside, to encourage re-use of brownfield land if not of high environmental value, and to take account of the benefits of the best and most versatile farmland. The supporting Guidance also reminds local authorities that, in planning to meet local housing and other needs, they must have due regard to national policies - such as Green Belt policy - which indicate that development should be restricted and which may restrain the ability of an authority to meet its need. We intend to introduce a simpler and more transparent method for assessing the housing needs of each community next year, along with other reforms.However, it will still be for local authorities in consultation with local people to plan their areas using the Local Plan, and then to decide planning applications in line with that Plan and all other relevant factors. It is for local residents to make their hopes, concerns and evidence known to the local authority and (if appropriate) the planning inspector examining a revised Plan or determining an appeal.

Planning

Alec Shelbrooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, with reference to the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF), what the definition is of a broad location for growth; whether local authorities under the NPPF criteria are permitted to change land previously listed as an allocated site for development to a broad location during the course of an examination in public; and what is his policy on grade II-listed park and gardens within the green belt being protected from broad location for growth.

Alok Sharma: National planning policy does not define broad locations for growth. This is a matter for local decision and definition through the preparation of plans.When considering changes during the examination of development plan documents, it would be for the appointed planning inspector, working with the local authority, to determine whether a change is appropriate. Given my quasi-judicial role in the planning process, I cannot comment on specific cases.The National Planning Policy Framework sets out strong protections for the Green Belt. The Framework makes it clear that a local authority may alter the shape of its Green Belt only in exceptional circumstances, using the Local Plan process. The Framework does not define these ‘exceptional circumstances’. In the Housing White Paper, Fixing our broken housing market, we proposed that a local authority should be able to alter a Green Belt boundary in exceptional circumstances if it can demonstrate that it has examined all other reasonable options for meeting its identified development needs.We hope to respond to the consultation in the Housing White Paper in the new year.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Small Businesses: Investment

Jo Platt: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps his Department is taking to reassure small businesses on investment plans during the Government's negotiations on the UK leaving the EU.

Margot James: This government is committed to supporting investment in small businesses. As my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer set out in the Autumn Budget, we will establish a new £2.5 billion Investment Fund incubated in the British Business Bank. By co-investing with the private sector, a total of £7.5 billion of investment will be supported. We will also invest in a series of private sector funds of funds of scale, with up to £500m allocated to the first of potentially three investment rounds. We are also extending the British Business Bank’s Enterprise Finance Guarantee to March 2022 and expanding the programme to support up to £500 million of loans per annum. These measures are in addition to the existing £3.7bn already allocated to the British Business Bank. We are also significantly expanding the support that innovative knowledge-intensive companies can receive through the Enterprise Investment Scheme (EIS) and Venture Capital Trusts (VCTs).

Carbon Capture and Storage

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, when the CCUS Cost Challenge Task Force will be established; and whether the terms of reference will be made public.

Claire Perry: The Department is currently in the process of setting up the carbon capture usage & storage (CCUS) Task Force and we expect the task force to deliver a plan to Government on deploying CCUS cost effectively in the UK summer 2018. Details of its membership and terms of reference will be published on the Department’s website in January 2018.

Consumers: Protection

Bim Afolami: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps the Government has taken in response to the findings of the National Audit Office report entitled Protecting consumers from scams, unfair trading and unsafe goods, published in December 2016.

Margot James: The Government has carefully considered the findings of the National Audit Office’s December 2016 report. As recommended in the report, the Consumer Protection Partnership is taking action to further improve the Partnership’s assessment of consumer detriment, including through the Consumer Detriment Survey, and taking action to improve the sharing of intelligence both within and outside the Partnership. The forthcoming Consumer Green Paper will also closely examine markets which are not working fairly for consumers.

Energy: Meters

Emma Hardy: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will make an assessment of barriers faced by people with a smart meter of changing energy provider; and if he will make a statement.

Richard Harrington: Consumers with first generation smart (SMETS1) meters are still able to switch supplier, and are in a better position to do so thanks to accurate information on their energy usage. If the new supplier is not able to operate the meter in 'smart' mode, the meter will continue to record energy consumption accurately and can be used in 'traditional' mode. Second generation smart (SMETS2) meters will be fully compatible between energy providers, therefore allowing all consumers to retain smart services when they switch energy suppliers. The Data and Communications Company is developing a solution to move SMETS1 meters onto the national communications infrastructure to enable consumers to retain their smart services upon switching. We expect this to commence in late 2018.

Energy: Meters

Emma Hardy: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what comparative assessment he has made of standing charges for energy consumers where a smart meter (a) has and (b) has not been installed; and if he will make a statement.

Richard Harrington: No such assessment has been made. Smart metering costs are paid by suppliers, who pass the net costs or savings through to customers over the life of the Smart Metering Programme. Consumers will continue to pay for their metering service as they do now for their traditional meters, through their energy bills. Smart meters are expected to take £300 million off household energy bills in 2020 alone. Overall, the roll-out is set to deliver significant net benefits to consumers, estimated at £5.7 billion over the lifetime of the Programme.

Energy: Meters

Emma Hardy: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what estimate he has made of the number of energy consumers who have lost paperless discounts since having a smart meter installed.

Richard Harrington: No such estimate has been made. We are not aware of this being an issue linked with smart meters.

Randox Testing Services and Trimega

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether the United Kingdom Accreditation Service assessed (a) Randox Testing Service between 2013 and 2017 and (b) Trimega between 2010 and 2014 against the standards set by the Forensic Science Regulator after initial accreditation had been granted.

Margot James: As the National Accreditation Body, the United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS) is independent of Government. UKAS has provided the following information.Trimega (subsequently Ingemino from 16 January 2014) was granted UKAS accreditation to the international standard for test laboratories ISO/IEC 17025 “General requirements for the competence of testing and calibration laboratories”, on 10 July 2013. This accreditation was withdrawn on 11 April 2014.Randox Testing Services was granted accreditation to ISO/IEC 17025 on 27 November 2009 and still holds accreditation to this standard. Neither Trimega nor Randox Testing Services have been assessed by UKAS against the Forensic Science Regulator’s Codes of Practice and Conduct.

Carbon Capture and Storage: North West

Conor McGinn: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps his Department is taking to develop a carbon capture and storage cluster in the North West.

Richard Harrington: The Government’s Clean Growth Strategy, published on 12 October 2017, commits Government to working with ongoing initiatives in Teesside, Merseyside, South Wales and Grangemouth to test the potential for development of carbon capture usage and storage (CCUS) industrial decarbonisation clusters. To progress this, the Department is engaging with Cadent, Peel Environmental, and Progressive Energy on their proposals to create a low-carbon hydrogen cluster with CCUS supplying industry and consumers in the Liverpool and Manchester area.

Radioactive Waste

Iain Stewart: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether he plans to update the regulatory provisions governing nuclear waste in light of recent natural science evidence concerning the health effects of low-ionizing radiation.

Richard Harrington: Regulatory provisions for radioactive substances activities, including the accumulation and management of radioactive waste, are contained in Schedule 23 of the Environmental Permitting Regulations 2016. On 5 October the government published draft updates to Schedule 23 in “Consultation on Revised requirements for radiological protection: regulation of public exposures and the justification of practices”. The proposals are based on current scientific evidence, as reflected in the latest safety standards issued by the International Atomic Energy Agency and the requirements of the corresponding Euratom Basic Safety Standards Directive, which enters into force in 2018. The public consultation closed on 15 November. Once the consultation responses have been considered, and subject to parliamentary timetables, updated regulations will be laid before this House in 2018.

Minimum Wage: Young People

Mr Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to paragraph 4.31 of the Autumn Budget 2017, for what reasons (a) 18 to 20 year olds and (b) 16 to 17 year olds are paid less than the level of the National Minimum Wage set for 21 to 24 year olds.

Margot James: The Government sets age-related minimum wages in order to protect younger workers, who may otherwise be more vulnerable to being unemployed than older workers. The 2017 Low Pay Commission report (Figure 3.15) shows the unemployment rates for young people not in full-time education in the UK is 31.3 per cent for 16-18 year olds, 15.5 per cent for 18-20 year olds. This compares to 8.4 per cent for those aged 21 to 24 in the second quarter of 2017. The Government is setting minimum thresholds only and we recognise and commend those employers who seek to set higher rates of pay.

Solar Power

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment his Department has made of the industrial benefits of solar power.

Richard Harrington: Solar power is a UK success story, with rapid deployment over the last 7 years. Latest figures indicate that we now have over 12.5GW of solar capacity installed in the UK, enough to power over 2.7 million homes and exceeding our historic projections. Costs for solar installations have fallen rapidly during this period, allowing both domestic and industrial consumers to benefit from increasingly cheap and clean electricity. We expect subsidy-free solar to be an increasingly attractive option, with the first subsidy-free UK solar farm recently deploying. Some of the UK’s largest solar developers have said that they will be installing and connecting subsidy-free sites over the next 12 months.

Solar Power

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how much (a) ground mounted (b) rooftop solar power was deployed in each month from January 2017.

Richard Harrington: The table below shows deployment of solar PV in each month since January 2017. The type of installation is known for sites accredited on a support mechanism (Renewables Obligation, Feed in Tariff or Contract for Difference); “Unclassified” includes sites awaiting accreditation on these schemes. Ground-mounted solar capacity (MW)Roof-mounted solar capacity (MW)Unclassified (mixed) solar capacity (MW)January 1728.73.710.8February 1730.913.160.6March 17137.7105.5374.6April 1703.22.7May 1702.62.4June 1700.60Source: Solar photovoltaic deployment in the United Kingdom, published October 2017, ‘Table 2 – By Accreditation’ at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/solar-photovoltaics-deployment. This will be updated (to September 2017) on 30 November 2017.

Solar Power

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what advice his Department has received on the lawfulness of excluding solar power from CfD auction rounds under state aid rules.

Richard Harrington: Solar PV has not been excluded from the Contracts for Difference (CfD) scheme. Under the scheme approved by the European Commission in 2014, and since 1 January 2017 when biomass conversion, which had been in a third group, was integrated into Group 1, technologies are grouped into either Group 1 or Group 2. Solar PV is classed as a Group 1 technology so eligible solar PV projects would be able to compete for a CfD in an allocation round for these technologies.

Tidal Lagoons Independent Review

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 21 November to Question 110379, how many civil servants were seconded to the Hendry Review.

Richard Harrington: Five civil servants were seconded to the Hendry Review.

Local Growth Deals: Sheffield City Region

Gill Furniss: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what plans he has for investment in the Sheffield City Region Growth Hub.

Margot James: Over the last three years, Government has invested and funded the establishment of 38 Growth Hubs (one in each Local Enterprise Partnership area) including a Growth Hub within Sheffield City Region which launched in April 2016.Since launch Growth Hubs have engaged and supported over 570,000 businesses.Of these, Sheffield City Region Growth Hub has supported over 4,600 businesses; in addition to delivering 2,950 diagnostic interventions and helping 650 individuals to start a new business.Within the Industrial Strategy White Paper, the Government has also announced that it will continue to invest in Growth Hubs by building on the existing programme, providing continued funding to enable Growth Hubs to continue to bring public and private sector partners together, such as UK Research and Innovation, the British Business Bank, Tech Nation, investors and universities.We will also continue to support and invest in Growth Hubs in order that they carry on building their reach, developing peer to peer networks, signposting businesses to the best support available from the private and public sectors, and working with businesses with the greatest growth potential.

Energy

Andrew Percy: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what plans he has to encourage greater diversify in energy production in the UK.

Richard Harrington: The Capacity Market is at the heart of the Government’s plans for a reliable, flexible electricity system. It will secure the capacity required to meet peak demand in a range of scenarios through auctions held four- and one-year ahead of delivery.The design of the Capacity Market drives fierce competition. Existing and new resources, of all technology types which are not in receipt of another subsidy, compete together. A mix of new-build projects came through in the last main capacity auction in December 2016, with significant innovation such as demand-side response and battery storage winning agreements alongside more traditional gas generation projects.Other measures being taken to broaden the UK’s electricity generation base are the deployment of new nuclear generation (starting with Hinkley Point C).In September, we announced the results of the second Contracts for Difference auction round which secured an additional 3.2 Giga Watts of new offshore wind capacity to be built in the early 2020’s.Building on this, we announced our Clean Growth Strategy in October, where we committed a further £557 million for future Contracts for Difference allocation rounds with the next auction planned for Spring 2019.

Aerospace Industry: Trade

Andrew Percy: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps the Government is taking to assist the UK  aerospace industry to take advantage of global trading opportunities after the UK has left the EU.

Richard Harrington: The UK will continue its longstanding support for the aerospace sector, including co-funding £1.95bn to 2026 for research and development activities, and a number of other measures to support the UK supply chain.

Business: Regulation

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether it remains his Department's policy to reduce the level of regulation by £10bn and what progress he has made on meeting that target.

Margot James: The target to deliver £10 billion of savings only applied in respect of the last Parliament, which was originally expected to run for five years from 2015 to 2020. The Government is currently considering its approach to setting a Business Impact Target in respect of the current Parliament.The Government will publish the progress that was made against the £10 billion target in due course.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Animal Experiments: Cosmetics

Michelle Donelan: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to encourage countries yet to do so to join the ban on cosmetics animal testing and the sale of animal-tested cosmetics.

Mark Field: ​Since 2013 the Home Office and the FCO/BEIS Science & Innovation Network in Beijing has continued to support China to bring an end to unnecessary cosmetics testing on animals, advising on a science based approach for alternative testing.

GCHQ: Equality

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how much GCHQ spent from the public purse on sponsorship of the National Diversity Awards 2017; and how many full-time equivalent GCHQ staff worked on that project.

Sir Alan Duncan: Any law enforcement or intelligence agency must represent the diverse communities it serves to enable them to gather the intelligence they need to keep us all safe. Diversity is therefore recognised as a crucial component of the intelligence agencies' workforce. The Intelligence and Security Committee of Parliament recognised as much when they carried out an inquiry on Parliament's behalf into women in the intelligence agencies.It has been the longstanding policy of successive Governments not to reveal details of the budgets or spending of the intelligence agencies. Statutory oversight for budgets and expenditure of the intelligence agencies is provided by the Intelligence and Security Committee of Parliament.

Diplomatic Service: Unpaid Fines

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he is taking to recover monies owed in parking tickets unpaid by diplomats.

Sir Alan Duncan: ​We continually press diplomatic missions and international organisations to pay their outstanding parking fines. The Director and Deputy Director of Protocol raised this issue with all new heads of non-paying missions at their introductory meetings, and officials have held meetings with a number of missions about their outstanding parking debts. In addition, in April this year (as in previous years) we wrote to diplomatic missions and international organisations concerned giving them the opportunity to either pay their outstanding fines or appeal against them if they considered that the fines had been issued incorrectly.

Pakistan: Politics and Government

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, when he last discussed civil society in Pakistan with the Government of Pakistan.

Mark Field: We frequently raise the importance of maintaining the space for civil society at senior levels within the Government of Pakistan. As I did on my visit to Pakistan in November of this year. ​We are concerned by some of the restrictions the Government of Pakistan has placed on NGOs, who are important development partners for the UK government and reach an estimated 19 million of the poorest people in Pakistan.

Pakistan: Non-governmental Organisations

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will raise with the Government of Pakistan the important role that NGOs play in countering extremism and promoting development and human rights.

Mark Field: ​The Government recognises the important contribution which INGOs and NGOs make in Pakistan. They are important development partners for the UK, reaching an estimated 19 million of the poorest people. During my visit in November I continued our record of actively raising the importance of their development, humanitarian and human rights work, as well as work to counter the drivers of violent extremism, with the Government of Pakistan.

Pakistan: Non-governmental Organisations

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will encourage the Government of Pakistan to consult NGOs on the effect of its policies.

Mark Field: We are concerned by some of the restrictions placed on NGOs in Pakistan. Recognising the important contribution INGOs and NGOs make, we regularly lobby the Government of Pakistan,​ most recently during my visit on 7-10 November, to ensure that their new system of regulation of NGOs is implemented swiftly and allows continuation of their important development and humanitarian work. We actively encourage the Government of Pakistan to engage NGOs on policies that affect them.

British Virgin Islands: Hurricanes and Tornadoes

Nadhim Zahawi: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the effect of Hurricanes Irma and Maria on the tourism industry in the British Virgin Islands.

Sir Alan Duncan: Tourism is a delegated responsibility to the British Virgin Islands (BVI) Government. Within their 'Territorial Recovery and Development Plan', the BVI Government have made an assessment, of the steps required, working alongside the private sector to support the tourism sector's recovery.The British Government remains committed to working with the Governments of the BVI and other affected Overseas Territories as they develop their longer-term recovery plans.At the World Bank meetings last month the UK announced a private sector task force to mobilise business to play a prominent role in the reconstruction of the Overseas Territories. The task force will identify and implement practical steps to increase flows of private sector financial support for reconstruction in the region.

Bangladesh: Non-governmental Organisations

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to the Government of Bangladesh on increasing the length of permits for NGOs to operate in that country.

Mark Field: I am aware of the limited length of formal permissions granted by Government of Bangladesh to NGOs operating as part of the Rohingya response, and of reports of the difficulty in obtaining these permissions. The International Development Secretary raised these specific concerns with the Government of Bangladesh during her visit to Bangladesh on 25-26 November. I raised our wider concerns regarding humanitarian access to Rohingya refugee camps with Bangladesh High Commissioner Quaunine and Foreign Secretary Shahidul Haque on 2 November, and with Bangladesh State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shahriar Alam during my visit to Dhaka, 28-29 September. The High Commission in Dhaka maintains a regular dialogue with the Government of Bangladesh on the issue of NGO access and the broader effort to support Rohingya refugees. Bangladesh is playing a vital role in supporting the Rohingya refugees who have fled appalling violence in Burma. The UK has already​ committed £59 million to the Rohingya response to provide life-saving water, food, shelter and sanitation desperately needed by the Rohingya community in Bangladesh.

Department for Exiting the European Union

Financial Services

Nicky Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, when he plans to publish a future partnership paper or position paper on (a) services and (b) financial services.

Mr Robin Walker: Over the summer, the Government published a series of papers on the new deep and special partnership the UK wants to build with the EU. These papers represent the hard work and detailed thinking that has been going on behind the scenes across Whitehall since last year’s referendum. We are continuing a comprehensive programme of engagement with businesses and third party organisations to further inform our thinking. Ministers from the Department for Exiting the EU alone have undertaken a wide-ranging programme of stakeholder engagement in the past year, including attendance at over 50 round tables and over 250 bilateral meetings. The Government remains committed to securing the best possible deal for the United Kingdom - a deal that works for all sectors of the UK economy. We have been engaging with businesses and industry bodies from all sectors of the economy and all regions of the UK in order to inform our negotiations with the EU. The Government will continue to set out its position as appropriate.

Department for Exiting the European Union: Brexit

Heidi Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, with reference to the National Audit Office Report, Implementing the UK’s exit from the European Union, HC 593, published on 17 November 2017, if he will list the 313 work streams across government departments identified by that report.

Mr Robin Walker: The Department for Exiting the European Union is working closely with all departments to ensure our preparations for exit from and new partnership with the EU are on track. The Department has established a series of arrangements to coordinate departments’ planning and delivery. As indicated in the National Audit Office report, departments have identified Exit work streams that are used to structure engagement with DExEU. The structure and development of work streams is part of ongoing cross-Government work to develop and assess potential policy options. The number of work streams is being updated regularly but because the nature of this internal work could be sensitive to ongoing negotiations, we will not be publishing the full list.

Attorney General

G4S and Serco

Imran Hussain: To ask the Attorney General, when the Serious Fraud Office investigation into G4S and Serco launched in 2014 into allegations of fraud on the tagging contract will be published.

Jeremy Wright: The SFO criminal investigation into G4S and Serco electronic monitoring contracts is still ongoing and it would not be appropriate to publish any further details at this stage as this could compromise the investigation. SFO cases are by their very nature complex, lengthy and resource intensive and it is not unusual for them to take a considerable time to be concluded. However, the SFO will publish information about this case on its website when it is appropriate to do so.

Department for International Development

Lake Chad Basin: Humanitarian Aid

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how much she plans to contribute to the UN humanitarian appeal for the Lake Chad region.

Rory Stewart: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I provided on 27 November to Question number 115054.

Developing Countries: Disease Control

Chris Law: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how her Department works with the Department of Health to coordinate the objectives and disbursements of the Ross Fund to combat the world's most serious diseases.

Rory Stewart: The Ross Fund is a portfolio of programmes, identified in the UK Aid Strategy, led by DFID and the Department of Health (DH), aimed at combatting the world's most serious diseases. Details are set out at the link below https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/494584/Ross_Fund_Publication_final.pdfThe two Departments jointly developed the objectives of the Ross Fund Portfolio and agreed their respective areas of work. There is regular ongoing coordination and joint strategic oversight between DFID and DH. Senior managers and programme officials, from each department, meet quarterly, to ensure strategic oversight of the work across the two Departments.

UN Women

Chris Law: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department plans to take to support UN Women following the publication of the Multilateral Development Review 2016.

Alistair Burt: Since the publication of the Multilateral Development Review (MDR) in 2016, DFID has supported UN Women through Executive Boards, regular bilateral engagement and discussions on UN development system reform to strengthen areas for improvement identified by the MDR, such as value for money, organisational effectiveness and corporate assurance.

UN Agencies: Pay Systems

Chris Law: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what discussions she has had with her EU counterparts on the proposal to introduce payment by results to UN agencies

Alistair Burt: My officials have undertaken a range of outreach opportunities to discuss the planned ‘payment by results’ component of the voluntary core funding that DFID contributes to the UN’s humanitarian and development agencies. This has included a number of meetings at Permanent Secretary level with interested donors, formal presentations to EU counterparts at Director General level and a number of informal meetings at a technical level. The former Secretary of State, Rt. Hon. Priti Patel, also hosted a high level Ministerial roundtable at the UN General Assembly in September, where the payment by results approach was discussed. Her speech from that event can be read here.

Overseas Aid: Research

Martin Whitfield: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what the remit and objectives of the Strategic Coherence of ODA-funded Research Board are.

Martin Whitfield: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, when the Strategic Coherence for ODA-funded Research Board first plans to meet and how often it will do so.

Rory Stewart: DFID led the development of the new HMG Strategic Coherence of ODA-funded Research (SCOR) Board within the UK Collaborative for Development Sciences UKCDS (DFID is the major funder of UKCDS). SCOR has been established as a cross-HMG mechanism to ensure that UK’s ODA-funded science and research is coherent across HMG departments and is having maximum impact on international development objectives and outcomes in developing countries.The Board’s first meeting was held on the 17 Nov 2017. DFID is represented on by Board through the departmental Chief Scientific Adviser who is also responsible for DFID research budget. The SCOR Board is planning to meet four times in 2018, starting in January.

Developing Countries: Overseas Trade

Huw Merriman: What steps her Department is taking to promote trade between the UK and least developed countries.

Penny Mordaunt: The UK is a proud advocate of helping developing countries trade their way out of poverty. The Government has introduced the Taxation (Cross-Border Trade) Bill which enables creation of a trade preference scheme. This will maintain existing tariff free access to the UK for Least Developed Countries as we leave the EU.

Developing Countries: Education and Health Services

Ellie Reeves: What steps she is taking to promote universal access to free public education and health systems in developing and partner countries.

Alistair Burt: The UK supports countries working toward free access to life-saving and life-changing health and education services for the most marginalised people. We do this through a combination of bilateral and multilateral interventions, focusing on strengthening overall health and education systems.

Central African Republic: Overseas Aid

Hugh Gaffney: What aid her Department provides to Central African Republic.

Rory Stewart: The UK is one of the largest donors to the crisis in the Central African Republic and UK Aid is making a big difference on the ground. Our support is reaching 1.5 million people with life-saving food, shelter and basic healthcare.

Developing Countries: Research

Chris Green: What support her Department provides to assist developing countries with scientific research.

Rory Stewart: DFID is committed to ensuring that cutting edge scientific research tackles extreme poverty. DFID funded research brings together coalitions of universities, private sector and civil society in developing countries. DFID is working in partnership with 14 Research Councils across Africa to share learning on effective investments in science, technology and innovation.

Overseas Aid: Charities

Victoria Prentis: What steps she is taking to enable small charities in the UK to access funding allocated by her Department.

Penny Mordaunt: The Small Charities Challenge Fund was launched in July this year. This fund is specifically for UK registered non-for-profit organisations with an annual income of less than £250,000. The fund is continuously open for applications and the first review of applications is currently underway.

Overseas Aid: Procurement

Bambos Charalambous: What steps she is taking to ensure that private contractors funded through Official Development Assistance are scrutinised and managed effectively.

Rory Stewart: The reform plan announced in October sets out measures to ensure DFID has assurance of ethical behaviour and value for money along all our supply chains. DFID are encouraging other government departments and devolved administrations who spend ODA to adopt a similarly robust approach with their own suppliers.

Developing Countries: Technology

Lee Rowley: What steps she is taking to promote technology for development purposes.

Penny Mordaunt: DFID is committed to harnessing the power of technologies to reduce poverty. Our investments in technologies are saving and changing lives all over the world. DFID invests more than 45% of its research budget in the development, testing and large-scale delivery of technologies in health, agriculture, climate, energy, water, education, and humanitarian response.

Department for Education

Wakefield City Academies Trust

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether Wakefield City Academies Trust has made a claim under her Department's risk protection arrangement in (a) the last three months and (b) the last year.

Mr Robert Goodwill: Academies within the Wakefield City Academy Trust have reported a total of:a) Two RPA claims in the last three months (August 2017 – October 2017);b)Ten RPA claims in the last year, covering twelve individual claim lines (November 2016 – October 2017).Please note: the numbers above have been calculated based on the date reported to the claims handler and not the date the accident was incurred.Further details on the claims are summarised in the attachment.



WCAT Risk Protection Claims
(Word Document, 13.67 KB)

Wakefield City Academies Trust

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, for what reasons the Regional Schools Commissioner for East Midlands and Humber did not announce plans to rebroker academies run by the Wakefield City Academies Trust until September 2017.

Mr Robert Goodwill: On 8 September 2017 Wakefield City Academies Trust announced that it had passed a resolution to wind up the Trust, and to ask my Rt hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Education to re-broker all 21 of its academies. The Lancashire and West Yorkshire and East Midlands and the Humber Regional Schools Commissioners had been working closely with the Trust to review its performance and capacity, and had considered a range of options for its future.

Pupils: Health

Rehman Chishti: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 8 November 2017 to Question 110581, on pupils: health, what steps her Department plans to take to ensure that schools are (a) aware of and (b) comply with statutory guidance supporting pupils with medical conditions at school, further to promoting the duty through the Department's social media.

Rehman Chishti: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans Ofsted has to update its training and guidance on effective implementation of Supporting pupils with medical conditions at school.

Mr Robert Goodwill: Our recent promotion of the guidance through the department’s social media channels reached over 32,000 people. The department will consider whether further steps might be necessary to raise awareness of the guidance. Ofsted’s Common Inspection Framework requires inspectors, in making judgements upon schools, to pay particular attention to the outcomes of a range of groups of pupils, including those with medical needs. Ofsted included guidance to inspectors on this matter in their March 2017 school inspection update, reminding inspectors that they should consider how schools are meeting the needs of pupils with medical conditions. Ofsted’s onward plans are a matter for Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector, Amanda Spielman. I have asked her to write to you, and a copy of her reply will be placed in the libraries of the House.

Music: GCSE

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether students taking music as a GCSE subject perform better overall in the Attainment 8 measure.

Nick Gibb: The average Attainment 8[1] scores of pupils in state funded schools[2], at the end of key stage 4[3], split by whether they entered a GCSE or equivalent[4] qualification in music[5], are presented in the tables below.Academic year 2016/17[6] Total pupilsAverage Attainment 8 scorePupils not entering music4486,98345.5Pupils entering music441,52752.7 Academic year 2015/166 Total pupilsAverage Attainment 8 scorePupils not entering music4495,07249.4Pupils entering music445,20355.8 Differences in Attainment 8 scores occur for a number of reasons. These include the prior attainment of pupils (which is controlled for in the Progress 8 measure) and the number of GCSEs taken by pupils (pupils taking more qualifications are more likely to obtain a higher score and pupils taking more qualifications are more likely to take music). The response to PQ 115227 includes more detail about the Progress 8 measure for pupils who take a music GCSE. Attainment 8 is a new measure which schools and pupils are still adjusting to and with the ongoing transition to reformed GCSEs, it is expected that Attainment 8 scores will be prone to fluctuations initially. Attainment 8 is comprised of a selection of a pupil’s grades and may not include any music qualifications they have sat, therefore it is not possible to unpick which, if any, factors have a definitive influence on these scores. With data for only two years, it is too soon to draw conclusions. More information on Attainment 8 is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/659860/Secondary_accountability_measures_guide.pdf.State-funded schools include academies, free schools, city technology colleges, further education colleges with provision for 14- to 16-year-olds and state-funded special schools. They exclude independent schools, independent special schools, non-maintained special schools, hospital schools, pupil referral units and alternative provision.Pupils are identified as being at the end of key stage 4 if they were on roll at the school and in year 11 at the time of the January school census for that year. Age is calculated as at 31 August for that year, and the majority of pupils at the end of key stage 4 were age 15 at the start of the academic year. Some pupils may complete this key stage in an earlier or later year group.Also includes entries in graded music qualifications.Pupils are recorded as ‘entering music’ if they sat at least one exam in any music qualification which is counted in the secondary school performance tables as a GCSE, equivalent or graded music qualification.2015/16 data is final; 2016/17 data is provisional.

Ministry of Justice

Prisons: Smoking

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether a risk assessment was conducted by his Department on the smoking ban in prisons before the roll-out of that ban.

Mr Sam Gyimah: The Government remains fully committed to making all prisons smoke free. The decision to go smoke free in every prison is only taken after careful planning and preparation and the final decision is only taken when each prison has met stringent checks to ensure that it is safe to do so and all necessary healthcare support is available to help prisoners give up smoking. The national roll out of the Smoke Free Prisons project has been actively managed under usual project management disciplines.

Personal Injury: Compensation

Craig Tracey: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, when he plans to bring forward legislative proposals to reform the whiplash claims process.

Mr Sam Gyimah: In February this year, the Government announced further reforms to bear down on the number and cost of whiplash claims. These reforms will be introduced in due course through the Civil Liability Bill which was announced in the Queen’s Speech, and through secondary legislation.

Holloway Prison

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether his Department has taken steps to ensure that the site of the former HM Prison Holloway is not landbanked once it has been sold.

Richard Burgon: To ask the Ministry of Justice, how many tenders have been received for purchase of the land at the site of former HM Prison Holloway; what the timetable is for sale of the site; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Sam Gyimah: The Government set out its ambition for a reformed prison estate in the November 2016 Prison Safety and Reform White Paper. Our reforms will close down ageing and ineffective prisons and replace them with buildings fit for today’s demands. Our new prison estate will create the physical conditions for Governors to achieve better educational, training and rehabilitation outcomes. We have concluded the marketing exercise for the sale of the former HM Prison and Young Offender Institution Holloway site and are currently evaluating the bids received. As part of the evaluation, the Ministry of Justice will assess the feasibility of redevelopment schemes proposed by bidders. This will include whether they comply with the London Borough of Islington’s (LBI) affordable housing and other planning requirements and whether the purchaser has sufficient funds to undertake the development. The MoJ will also consider the proposed timetable for development and the track record of the developers in undertaking developments on time.We expect to make an announcement about the successful bidder in the Spring of 2018. At this stage in the process the number of bids received is commercially sensitive.

Berwyn Prison

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many incidents relating to Spice have been recorded at HM Prison Berwyn since that prison opened in Spring 2017.

Mr Sam Gyimah: The Ministry of Justice and Her Majesty's Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) takes seriously the ongoing challenges that substance misuse, including psychoactive substances (PS) pose to our establishments and we continue to implement a range of measures to address both the availability and use of such harmful substances. This is based on a multi-agency approach working closely with health partners and law enforcement agencies. The HMPPS Incident Reporting System does not specifically record the reasons behind an incident and therefore it is not possible to provide the information requested. Prisons have at their disposal a range of security measures to reduce the supply of drugs into prisons including physical searching, the use of x-ray machines, CCTV surveillance cameras, intelligence-led searches as well as drug detection dogs. HMPPS have trained more than 300 dogs to detect PS and these dogs are available to all prisons. HMPPS are also exploring additional innovative security measures and new technology to complement existing searching methods in prisons. The introduction of mandatory drug testing for psychoactive substances in prisons in September 2016 was also a significant step to support our prisons in tackling the supply and use of these lethal drugs. We are not aware of any other prison service in the world that has introduced these innovative new tests.

Probation

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, Pursuant to the Answer of 7 November to Question 110305, if he will the place a copy in the Library of the recent internal review into the probation system.

Mr Sam Gyimah: Our review examined the operation of the probation system, with a particular focus on the performance and services of CRCs and the operation of contractual arrangements. As such, much of the work is commercially sensitive and not intended or suitable for publication. As a result of this work we made changes to CRC contracts in the summer, and at this time I took the opportunity to update Parliament in a written ministerial statement. We closely monitor the performance of probation services and will take further steps if needed to improve delivery.

Prison Sentences

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many prisoners there are serving IPP sentences for each (a) offence category as used in his Department's offender management statistics and (b) Home Office offence code where appropriate.

Mr Sam Gyimah: The information requested on how many prisoners there are serving IPP sentences in England and Wales as at 30 September 2017 for each (a) offence category as used in his Department's offender management statistics and (b) Home Office offence code can be found in the table attached. We are determined to address the challenge of making sure all IPP prisoners have the support they need to show they are no longer a threat to public safety. We have been working closely with the Parole Board to process these cases as quickly as possible. This work is continuing to achieve results, with 576 IPP releases in 2016



Table
(Excel SpreadSheet, 50.5 KB)

Prison Sentences

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many prisoners serving IPP sentences have served (a) twice, (b) thrice, (c) four times, (d) five times and (e) six times longer or more than their original minimum sentences.

Mr Sam Gyimah: The number of prisoners serving IPP sentences as at 30 September 2017 who have served (a) twice, (b) thrice, (c) four times, (d) five times and (e) six times longer or more than their original minimum sentences can be viewed in the table below. We are determined to address the challenge of making sure all IPP prisoners have the support they need to show they are no longer a threat to public safety. We have been working closely with the Parole Board to process these cases as quickly as possible and, earlier this year, we set up a new unit focused on this and improving the efficiency of the parole process. This work is continuing to achieve results, with 576 IPP releases in 2016 Table 1: Number of Tariff Lengths Spent in PrisonNumber of Tariff Lengths ServedNumber of IPPsFrom 2 to less than 3657From 3 to less than 4469From 4 to less than 5257From 5 to less than 61576 or more275

Employment Tribunals Service: Eastern Region

Mohammad Yasin: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many employment tribunal judges and staff there were in (a) the Eastern Region and (b) Bedford in each year from 2010 to 2017.

Dominic Raab: The information requested is only available from 2012 and can be found in the tables below Employment Tribunals Salaried JudgesMar-12Mar-13Mar-14Mar-15Mar-16Mar-17Bedford330000Eastern Region14.515.416.816.414.413.1  Employment Tribunal Staff Mar-12Mar-13Mar-14Mar-15Mar-16Mar-17Bedford12.29.50000Eastern Region66.367.842.338.634.940 The Eastern Region was created on 1 April 2012 and comprised Bedford Employment Tribunal, Watford Employment Tribunal, Bury St Edmunds Tribunal, and Huntingdon Employment Tribunal. The Employment Tribunal salaried judges from Bedford Employment Tribunal transferred to Huntingdon Employment Tribunal on 1 April 2013. In June 2015 the South East Region was created and comprised Bedford Employment Tribunals, Watford Employment Tribunal, Bury St Edmunds Tribunal, Huntingdon Employment Tribunal, Reading Employment Tribunal and Norwich Employment Tribunal.

Aircraft: Kingston upon Hull

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether (a) Hull Maritime Museum, (b) Hull University, (c) Hull City Council, (d) TransPennine Express and (e) the artist Leonard J Brown were consulted before the decision was taken permanently to house the replica of Amy Johnson's Gipsy Moth at Yorkshire Air Museum.

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what sites in Hull were considered to permanently house the replica of Amy Johnson's Gipsy Moth, and what steps were taken to assess the suitability of those sites.

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, (a) how many and (b) which organisations contacted (i) the Ministry of Justice and (ii) HM Prison Hull expressing an interest in permanently housing the replica of Amy Johnson's Gipsy Moth at a site in Hull.

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will publish the correspondence between officials of his Department and (a) Hull Maritime Museum, (b) Hull University, (c) Hull City Council, (d) TransPennine Express, (e) the artist Leonard J Brown and (f) HM Prison Hull on the permanent location of the replica of Amy Johnson's Gipsy Moth.

Mr Sam Gyimah: HMP Hull created a full-scale replica of Amy Johnson’s Gipsy Moth as part of the Hull City of Culture 2017 programme and the prison’s reducing reoffending initiative. No organisation contacted the Department to express an interest in permanently housing the replica Gipsy Moth in Hull. None of the organisations listed expressed an interest or were consulted about permanently housing the replica Gipsy Moth in Hull. Mr Brown was also not consulted as the replica Gypsy Moth remains the property and responsibility of HMP Hull. HMP Hull approached and held discussions about the permanent placement of the replica Gipsy Moth with the City of Culture organisation, Network Rail for the use of Paragon Station, Curator Hull Museums, Museums Registrar (East Riding) and Sewerby Hall before the decision was taken to locate house the replica at Yorkshire Air Museum.

Church Commissioners

Christianity

Jim Shannon: To ask the Honourable Member for Meridan, representing the Church Commissioners, what steps the Church of England is taking to support Christians in the UK who face difficulties in following their faith in the (a) workplace and the (b) public forum.

Dame Caroline Spelman: At its July 2012 session the General Synod of the Church of England passed the following motion:“That this Synod express its conviction that it is the calling of Christians to order and govern our lives in accordance with the teaching of Holy Scripture, and to manifest our faith in public life as well as in private, giving expression to our beliefs in the written and spoken word, and in practical acts of service to the local community and to the nation.‟Bishops of the Church of England frequently speak about the need to ensure freedom of expression for Christians and for those of other faiths and none in the public square. In their joint letter before the last General Election, the Archbishops of Canterbury and York wrote:“Contemporary politics needs to re-evaluate the importance of religious belief. The assumptions of secularism are not a reliable guide to the way the world works, nor will they enable us to understand the place of faith in other people’s lives. Parishes and Chaplaincies of the Church of England serve people of all faiths and none. Their contribution and that of other denominations and faiths to the well-being of the nation is immense – schools, food banks, social support, childcare among many others – and is freely offered. But the role of faith in society is not just measured in terms of service delivery...The new Parliament, if it is to take religious freedom seriously, must treat as an essential task the improvement of religious literacy.”The full text can be read here: https://churchinparliament.org/2017/05/09/general-election-2017-archbishops-issue-election-letter/

Ministry of Defence

Military Aircraft: Helicopters

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many flying hours have been logged on (a) Merlin, (b) Wildcat, (c) Apache, (d) Gazelle, (e) Chinook, (f) Puma, (g) Lynx, (h) Bell 212 and (i) Defender aircraft under Joint Helicopter Command in each of the last five years.

Mark Lancaster: An error has been identified in the written answer given on 16 November 2017.The correct answer should have been:

The number of flying hours by aircraft type under Joint Helicopter Command for financial years 2012-13 to date are shown below. The Joint Helicopter Command does not fly the Bell 212. Annual flying hours are impacted by a number of factors including operational activity, number of platforms in service and training requirement.   Financial Year2012-132013-142014-152015-162016-172017-18(as at 31Oct)MERLIN6,8905,5204,1603,2403,2501,820WILDCAT6501,2502,1603,1204,1902,730APACHE16,66015,34011,0907,9808,1305,310GAZELLE3,9804,0104,0004,0203,8102,310CHINOOK14,81013,94011,90010,52011,4506,820PUMA3,0801,2204,1705,2805,2402,870LYNX5,15011,8904,4109,6502,9406,5403,4203,8402,470950DEFENDER2,1101,7601,9202,0001,7601,190 Numbers have been rounded to the nearest 10. Numbers ending in 5 have been rounded to the nearest multiple of 20 to avoid statistical bias.These figures are Single Service figures and are not official statistics produced by Defence Statistics.

Mark Lancaster: The number of flying hours by aircraft type under Joint Helicopter Command for financial years 2012-13 to date are shown below. The Joint Helicopter Command does not fly the Bell 212. Annual flying hours are impacted by a number of factors including operational activity, number of platforms in service and training requirement.   Financial Year2012-132013-142014-152015-162016-172017-18(as at 31Oct)MERLIN6,8905,5204,1603,2403,2501,820WILDCAT6501,2502,1603,1204,1902,730APACHE16,66015,34011,0907,9808,1305,310GAZELLE3,9804,0104,0004,0203,8102,310CHINOOK14,81013,94011,90010,52011,4506,820PUMA3,0801,2204,1705,2805,2402,870LYNX5,15011,8904,4109,6502,9406,5403,4203,8402,470950DEFENDER2,1101,7601,9202,0001,7601,190 Numbers have been rounded to the nearest 10. Numbers ending in 5 have been rounded to the nearest multiple of 20 to avoid statistical bias.These figures are Single Service figures and are not official statistics produced by Defence Statistics.

Military Aircraft: Helicopters

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many flying hours have been logged on (a) Merlin, (b) Wildcat, (c) Apache, (d) Gazelle, (e) Chinook, (f) Puma, (g) Lynx, (h) Bell 212 and (i) Defender aircraft under Joint Helicopter Command in 2017.

Mark Lancaster: An error has been identified in the written answer given on 16 November 2017.The correct answer should have been:

The number of flying hours by aircraft type under Joint Helicopter Command for financial years 2012-13 to date are shown below. The Joint Helicopter Command does not fly the Bell 212. Annual flying hours are impacted by a number of factors including operational activity, number of platforms in service and training requirement.   Financial Year2012-132013-142014-152015-162016-172017-18(as at 31Oct)MERLIN6,8905,5204,1603,2403,2501,820WILDCAT6501,2502,1603,1204,1902,730APACHE16,66015,34011,0907,9808,1305,310GAZELLE3,9804,0104,0004,0203,8102,310CHINOOK14,81013,94011,90010,52011,4506,820PUMA3,0801,2204,1705,2805,2402,870LYNX5,15011,8904,4109,6502,9406,5403,4203,8402,470950DEFENDER2,1101,7601,9202,0001,7601,190 Numbers have been rounded to the nearest 10. Numbers ending in 5 have been rounded to the nearest multiple of 20 to avoid statistical bias.These figures are Single Service figures and are not official statistics produced by Defence Statistics.

Mark Lancaster: The number of flying hours by aircraft type under Joint Helicopter Command for financial years 2012-13 to date are shown below. The Joint Helicopter Command does not fly the Bell 212. Annual flying hours are impacted by a number of factors including operational activity, number of platforms in service and training requirement.   Financial Year2012-132013-142014-152015-162016-172017-18(as at 31Oct)MERLIN6,8905,5204,1603,2403,2501,820WILDCAT6501,2502,1603,1204,1902,730APACHE16,66015,34011,0907,9808,1305,310GAZELLE3,9804,0104,0004,0203,8102,310CHINOOK14,81013,94011,90010,52011,4506,820PUMA3,0801,2204,1705,2805,2402,870LYNX5,15011,8904,4109,6502,9406,5403,4203,8402,470950DEFENDER2,1101,7601,9202,0001,7601,190 Numbers have been rounded to the nearest 10. Numbers ending in 5 have been rounded to the nearest multiple of 20 to avoid statistical bias.These figures are Single Service figures and are not official statistics produced by Defence Statistics.

Military Aircraft: Helicopters

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many Joint Helicopter Command overseas training exercises have been cancelled in each of the last five years.

Mark Lancaster: An error has been identified in the written answer given on 13 November 2017.The correct answer should have been:

The number of Joint Helicopter Command led exercises held and cancelled in each of the last five years is as follows: YearExercise HeldExercises Cancelled2017842320167612015602014902013100 Joint Helicopter Command also supports training exercises led by other parts of the Armed Forces and with other nations.

Mark Lancaster: The number of Joint Helicopter Command led exercises held and cancelled in each of the last five years is as follows: YearExercise HeldExercises Cancelled2017842320167612015602014902013100 Joint Helicopter Command also supports training exercises led by other parts of the Armed Forces and with other nations.

Military Aircraft: Helicopters

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many flying hours the (a) Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm, (b) Commando Helicopter Force, (c) Army Air Corps and (d) Royal Air Force pilots under Joint Helicopter Command have flown in each of the last five years.

Mark Lancaster: An error has been identified in the written answer given on 16 November 2017.The correct answer should have been:

The number of flying hours under the Joint Helicopter Command for financial years 2012-13 to date are shown below. Annual flying hours are impacted by a number of factors including operational activity, number of platforms in service and training requirement.   Financial Year2012-132013-142014-152015-162016-172017-18 (as at 31Oct)Commando Helicopter Force8,4406,1607,9004,0406,1504,2502,570Army Air Corps35,28032,01025,72020,16019,35011,740RAF24,79020,69016,07015,79016,6809,680 Numbers have been rounded to the nearest 10. Numbers ending in 5 have been rounded to the nearest multiple of 20 to avoid systematic bias. These figures are single Service figures and are not official statistics produced by Defence Statistics.

Mark Lancaster: The number of flying hours under the Joint Helicopter Command for financial years 2012-13 to date are shown below. Annual flying hours are impacted by a number of factors including operational activity, number of platforms in service and training requirement.   Financial Year2012-132013-142014-152015-162016-172017-18 (as at 31Oct)Commando Helicopter Force8,4406,1607,9004,0406,1504,2502,570Army Air Corps35,28032,01025,72020,16019,35011,740RAF24,79020,69016,07015,79016,6809,680 Numbers have been rounded to the nearest 10. Numbers ending in 5 have been rounded to the nearest multiple of 20 to avoid systematic bias. These figures are single Service figures and are not official statistics produced by Defence Statistics.

Military Aircraft: Helicopters

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many Joint Helicopter Command exercises have been held in each of the last five years.

Mark Lancaster: An error has been identified in the written answer given on 13 November 2017.The correct answer should have been:

The number of Joint Helicopter Command led exercises held and cancelled in each of the last five years is as follows: YearExercise HeldExercises Cancelled2017842320167612015602014902013100 Joint Helicopter Command also supports training exercises led by other parts of the Armed Forces and with other nations.

Mark Lancaster: The number of Joint Helicopter Command led exercises held and cancelled in each of the last five years is as follows: YearExercise HeldExercises Cancelled2017842320167612015602014902013100 Joint Helicopter Command also supports training exercises led by other parts of the Armed Forces and with other nations.

Military Aircraft: Helicopters

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many Joint Helicopter Command overseas training exercises have been cancelled in 2017.

Mark Lancaster: An error has been identified in the written answer given on 13 November 2017.The correct answer should have been:

The number of Joint Helicopter Command led exercises held and cancelled in each of the last five years is as follows: YearExercise HeldExercises Cancelled2017842320167612015602014902013100 Joint Helicopter Command also supports training exercises led by other parts of the Armed Forces and with other nations.

Mark Lancaster: The number of Joint Helicopter Command led exercises held and cancelled in each of the last five years is as follows: YearExercise HeldExercises Cancelled2017842320167612015602014902013100 Joint Helicopter Command also supports training exercises led by other parts of the Armed Forces and with other nations.

Army

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much the Army spent from the public purse on sponsorship of the National Diversity Awards 2017; and how many full-time equivalent Army staff worked on that project.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The Army sponsored the 'Positive Role Model for Race Award' at the National Diversity Awards at a cost of £9,995. No personnel were tasked to undertake a project relating to the awards, other than the minor task of arranging the sponsorship.

Frigates: Procurement

Christine Jardine: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will set out the timeline for procuring the next generation of Royal Navy frigates.

Harriett Baldwin: The Type 31e Frigate programme was launched on 7 September 2017, and is currently in its pre-procurement phase. We plan to formally start the competitive process in 2018 and award a single design and build contract in 2019, allowing us to trial and accept the first ship into service in 2023.We awarded the £3.7 billion contract to manufacture the first batch of three Type 26 Frigates in June 2017 and cut steel on the first ship, HMS GLASGOW, in July. We expect HMS GLASGOW to be structurally complete in the early 2020s, and to enter service in the mid-2020s.The procurement of the remaining five Type 26 Frigates will be subject to a separate approval and contract, which on current plans will be in the early 2020s.

Ministry of Defence: Public Expenditure

Tommy Sheppard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate he has made of the losses and special payments made by his Department in the 2017-18 financial year to date

Gavin Williamson: Holding answer received on 28 November 2017



No estimate of losses and special payments made in the 2017-18 financial year is currently available centrally.The latest audited information, published in July 2017, and covering the financial year 2016-17 is available on pages 125-126 of the Ministry of Defence 2016-17 Annual Report and Accounts, a copy of which is in the Library of the House and at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/ministry-of-defence-annual-report-and-accounts-2016-to-2017

Department for Work and Pensions

Funeral Payments

Neil Coyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what representations he has received on concern about the adequacy of the funeral fund to cover basic funeral costs; and whether he plans change to that fund.

Caroline Dinenage: An error has been identified in the written answer given on 28 November 2017.The correct answer should have been:

DWP have advertised 1,053 External Vacancies since January 2015 containing 21,432 posts. The breakdown provided by Government Recruitment Services is provided as requested overleaf. It is worth considering these vacancies are not guaranteed to have been filled. These are the vacancies we advertised. Not all roles advertised were filled and therefore this data will include repeat adverts.  MonthNumber of VacanciesNumber of Posts AdvertisedJan-158214Feb-1515353Mar-15960Apr-15862May-151354Jun-1520311Jul-1515326Aug-15261698Sep-15151479Oct-1513469Nov-1528397Dec-1514239Jan-1614290Feb-16471274Mar-16502107Apr-16741309May-1631500Jun-16581081Jul-1626214Aug-1634804Sep-16611251Oct-1650542Nov-1634567Dec-16548Jan-171011540Feb-1735483Mar-1717131Apr-17422May-1742891Jun-17641238Jul-1724433Aug-1721243Sep-171866Oct-1730605Nov-1729131Total105321432 The Department has had a number of discussions with representatives from the funeral industry and groups supporting bereaved people about Social Fund Funeral Expenses Payments and in particular the maximum amount of £700 available for other costs. We have made clear that we will ensure that Funeral Expenses Payments continue to meet the necessary costs of a cremation or burial for eligible claimants. Average payments have increased year-on-year to meet these necessary costs. We have had to make difficult choices about welfare spending and it has not been possible to increase the £700 maximum for other costs. However, we have made interest-free Social Fund Budgeting Loans available for funeral costs in addition to Funeral Expenses Payments. We have also been carrying out reforms to the Funeral Expenses Payments Regulations which are coming into force in April 2018. The reforms focused primarily on clarifying a number of issues around eligibility and to simplify the process for claiming a Funeral Expenses Payment. The formal response to the consultation on the Reform of the Funeral Expenses Payment Regulations was published on 3 July 2017 and can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/656887/consultation-response-reforms-to-funeral-expenses-payments.pdf.

Caroline Dinenage: DWP have advertised 1,053 External Vacancies since January 2015 containing 21,432 posts. The breakdown provided by Government Recruitment Services is provided as requested overleaf. It is worth considering these vacancies are not guaranteed to have been filled. These are the vacancies we advertised. Not all roles advertised were filled and therefore this data will include repeat adverts.  MonthNumber of VacanciesNumber of Posts AdvertisedJan-158214Feb-1515353Mar-15960Apr-15862May-151354Jun-1520311Jul-1515326Aug-15261698Sep-15151479Oct-1513469Nov-1528397Dec-1514239Jan-1614290Feb-16471274Mar-16502107Apr-16741309May-1631500Jun-16581081Jul-1626214Aug-1634804Sep-16611251Oct-1650542Nov-1634567Dec-16548Jan-171011540Feb-1735483Mar-1717131Apr-17422May-1742891Jun-17641238Jul-1724433Aug-1721243Sep-171866Oct-1730605Nov-1729131Total105321432 The Department has had a number of discussions with representatives from the funeral industry and groups supporting bereaved people about Social Fund Funeral Expenses Payments and in particular the maximum amount of £700 available for other costs. We have made clear that we will ensure that Funeral Expenses Payments continue to meet the necessary costs of a cremation or burial for eligible claimants. Average payments have increased year-on-year to meet these necessary costs. We have had to make difficult choices about welfare spending and it has not been possible to increase the £700 maximum for other costs. However, we have made interest-free Social Fund Budgeting Loans available for funeral costs in addition to Funeral Expenses Payments. We have also been carrying out reforms to the Funeral Expenses Payments Regulations which are coming into force in April 2018. The reforms focused primarily on clarifying a number of issues around eligibility and to simplify the process for claiming a Funeral Expenses Payment. The formal response to the consultation on the Reform of the Funeral Expenses Payment Regulations was published on 3 July 2017 and can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/656887/consultation-response-reforms-to-funeral-expenses-payments.pdf.

Personal Independence Payment

Neil Coyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment his Department has made of the effect of removing mobility payments from former disability living allowance recipients reassessed for personal independence payments on the ability of those people to sustain employment.

Sarah Newton: Personal Independence Payment (PIP) is a non-means tested disability benefit that is available to people regardless of whether they are in or out of employment and is intended to help people with the additional costs of their disability. Therefore, the employment status of the claimant is not collected at point of claim and no ongoing monitoring is made of employment status. A proportion of claimants who were previously entitled to the higher rate mobility component of Disability Living Allowance (DLA) did not receive the enhanced rate mobility component of PIP following reassessment. However, by October 2016 56,000 claimants who were not previously entitled to the higher rate mobility component of DLA were now receiving the enhanced rate mobility component of PIP. In addition to DLA and PIP, Access to Work is also available, which can provide practical and financial support with the additional costs, beyond reasonable adjustments, faced by individuals whose health or disability affects the way they do their job. The type of support is tailored to an individual’s needs and can include travel to work, support workers and specialist aids and equipment.

Universal Credit: Telephone Services

Carolyn Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether an emergency telephone line will be available over the Christmas period to allow new universal credit claimants to apply for an advance before their first payment.

Damian Hinds: The Department plans to advance the timing of all payments where people would be impacted by bank holidays, to ensure they have money over the festive period, also supporting those customers who request an advance payment during this time and minimising any impact on claimants for the brief period when the Universal Credit helpline is closed. This includes the careful assessment of technical system and banking system availability to ensure successful payments can be made. This year we have enhanced the functionality and added a faster payment contingency function in Universal Credit.

Universal Credit: Telephone Services

Carolyn Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether the MP hotline will be available over the Christmas period for urgent universal credit casework inquiries.

Damian Hinds: For MPs who have issues with constituents who are full service Universal Credit claimants, the Complaints Resolution Team route is available. We have recently confirmed that claimants do not need to give consent for MPs and their caseworkers to raise concerns. It is also important to remember that, in the full service, Universal Credit claimants, Universal Credit service centre colleagues and Universal Credit work coaches have access to a claimant’s online journal, which holds the details of a claim. In effect, any of these Universal Credit colleagues can provide the service that an MPs’ hotline would deliver. We are also currently writing to MPs as the full service goes live in their constituency. These letters explain the implicit consent arrangements for MPs. The letters also give the telephone number and email address of the district manager in the constituency so that MPs can contact district managers if there are urgent constituent cases that need attention. The letter also mentions that the jobcentre will be contacting the MP to arrange a visit to the jobcentre. This visit is another opportunity for MPs’ offices to build the relationship with their local Complaints Resolution Team.

Independent Case Examiner

Ronnie Cowan: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps the Government is taking to reduce waiting times for complaints received by the Independent Case Examiner.

Caroline Dinenage: The Independent Case Examiner’s Office provides a demand led service, with the result that waiting times fluctuate depending on the number of complaints it receives. The Office is currently experiencing high levels of referrals. Resources are monitored and reviewed annually, in addittion to which the Office continues its practice of identifying and implementing appropriate process efficiencies

Midland Bank: Occupational Pensions

Laura Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the Government's policy is on compensating people affected by the clawback feature of the Midland Bank pension scheme.

Guy Opperman: Such arrangements are not a DWP matter. It is a decision for employers and trustees to operate “clawback” or “integrated” pension scheme arrangements. There are no plans to legislate to compel schemes to withdraw an integration arrangement. Any retrospective change would impose significant additional unplanned costs. Pension scheme rules on the calculation of benefits are many and varied, and must remain a matter for employers and scheme trustees to decide.

Universal Credit

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to tackle the requirement within the universal credit system for people whose assessment period falls at the end of the month to reapply for that credit every three months.

Damian Hinds: Claimants will only need to reapply for Universal Credit if their Universal Credit award stops. If this is the case a claimant’s statement in their on-line account will show a zero payment and a written notification in their journal will also explain the reclaim process. The notification informs the claimant that they can reclaim and the service automatically offers a reclaim to claimants who are eligible. The reclaim process (if nothing has changed in the claimant circumstances) is less than 10 minutes. Where there has been a change in the claimant circumstances they only have to update the change. Claimants whose claims are closed through earnings can reclaim within 6 months.

Jobcentres: Parking

Oliver Dowden: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what representations his Department has received on parking difficulties experienced by jobcentre visitors; and if he will make a statement.

Damian Hinds: The Department does not centrally record representations or complaints specifically regarding this issue. Not all jobcentres have car parking facilities. Where car parking is available, spaces can be reserved for visitors or claimants with a mobility requirement. However, this would need to be arranged locally for claimants or through the member of staff responsible for organising the specific visit.

Income Support: Lone Parents

Jess Phillips: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will bring forward proposals to amend income support rules to remove the requirement that women who have fled domestic violence with their children, and whose abusive ex-partner has been the recipient of child benefit, must wait until the child benefit award is switched to them before they can receive income support as lone parents.

Damian Hinds: There are no plans to change the rule that determines whether a person is responsible for a child in Income Support. Women, or men, leaving the family home with their children because of domestic violence are able to claim other benefits without being paid Child Benefit. These are Universal Credit, or where that is not yet available, Jobseeker’s Allowance or Employment and Support Allowance, along with Housing Benefit. Victims of domestic violence are not required to be available for work or carry out jobsearch activities in Jobseeker’s Allowance for up to 13 weeks and in Universal Credit for up to 6 months. Throughout this period their Work Coach is available to provide them with full support.

Housing Benefit

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether he has plans to discontinue discretionary housing payments.

Caroline Dinenage: Discretionary housing payment funding is allocated to Local Authorities to help housing benefits recipients with both housing costs needs and the impact of housing welfare reforms. Details of the Government’s plans to continue Discretionary Housing Payment funding for Great Britain to the end of the Spending Review Period were stated in the Summer Budget 2015.

Mortgages: Interest Payments

Mr Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, at what rate interest will be set on support for mortgage interest when that benefit becomes a loan rather than a grant in April 2018.

Caroline Dinenage: Interest will be charged on SMI loans based upon the cost of gilts as published by the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR). This rate reflects the cost of Government borrowing. The Gilt Rate Forecast for 2018-19 is 1.5%, as specified in the latest Economic and Fiscal Outlook published on the 22nd November 2017 by the OBR.

Social Security Benefits: Credit

Mr Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if his Department will assess the potential merits of providing interest-free credit to people receiving certain benefits in order to avoid the use of rent-to-own schemes for household essentials.

Caroline Dinenage: DWP currently provides interest-free loans for customers in receipt of income related benefits who satisfy certain eligibility conditions. Social Fund Budgeting Loans are interest-free loans which are repayable from benefit awards. They are designed to help people who have been in receipt of a qualifying benefit for at least six months, with intermittent expenses that are considered difficult to budget for. The qualifying benefits are: Income Support, income-related Employment and Support Allowance, income-related Jobseeker’s Allowance, and Pension Credit. Universal Credit can be used as a qualifying benefit but only for claimants that migrate from Universal Credit to Pension Credit. Budgeting Advances are available to Universal Credit claimants who have been in receipt of benefit for at least six months to help meet intermittent expenses, such as buying essential items like furniture or household equipment. These advances ensure that low income families, that have an emergency financial need and don’t have access to adequate savings or affordable loans, can access funding to meet the emergency.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Game: Birds

Ben Lake: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department takes to (a) record the number of (a) birds, (b) cormorants and (c) gossanders shot annually under licence and (b) verify that licence conditions are met.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: Bird licensing is a devolved issue. In England all licences issued by Natural England to named individuals or organisations require the licensee to complete a regular return detailing the action taken under that licence. Numbers of birds, including cormorants and goosanders, shot under licence are recorded on Natural England internal databases. Licence returns are checked to ensure that the action taken complies with the licence and Natural England carries out a combination of both targeted and spot checks on compliance with licences.

Marine Protected Areas

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans he has to ensure that marine Special Areas of Conservation and Special Protection Areas continue to receive the same level of environmental protection as currently received after the UK leaves the EU.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: Environmental protections for designated areas continue as before, ensuring the whole body of existing EU environmental law continues to have effect in UK law. The Secretary of State has also announced that we will consult on creating a new, statutory, independent body to uphold environmental standards, and a new policy statement setting out environmental principles. We will continue to uphold all our obligations under international environmental treaties.

Animal Welfare: Sentencing

Angela Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when animal welfare charities will be able to comment on draft legislation to increase the maximum sentence for animal cruelty to five years' imprisonment.

George Eustice: As announced on 30 September, draft legislation to increase the maximum penalty for animal cruelty to five years’ imprisonment will be published for consultation around the turn of the year. We will welcome comments from animal welfare charities who have campaigned for this change.

Air Pollution

Alex Sobel: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what (a) steps his Department is taking to ensure and (b) financial support it provides to support local authorities to meet statutory air quality requirements.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: Defra provides detailed guidance to support local authorities in fulfilling their local air quality management responsibilities, as well as a dedicated helpdesk that provides 24 hour technical support and tools to local authorities. The department wrote to 230 local authorities across England with longstanding air quality problems last November to better understand the challenges they face and to press for further action. The information provided by these local authorities is helping to inform government policy and to strengthen our joint efforts to improve air quality across the UK. In March Defra, along with Public Health England and the Local Government Association, published the Air Quality Briefing for Directors of Public Health. This provides easily accessed information on the health impacts of air pollution along with extensive guidance on understanding, communicating and tackling the issue in local areas. In July the Government published the UK plan for tackling roadside nitrogen dioxide concentrations. We have put in place a £3.5 billion plan to clean up the air and reduce harmful vehicle emissions. This includes the £255 million implementation fund already announced by the Government to support local authorities to prepare their plans and deliver targeted action to improve air quality. In addition, as part of the budget, the Chancellor confirmed a further £220 million of new funding for a clean air fund, which will support local authorities with the biggest air quality challenge to support people and businesses to adapt as measures to improve air quality are implemented.Defra’s annual Air Quality Grant Programme was introduced in 1997 to support local authorities in carrying out their air quality duties. Over £55m has been allocated to local measures such as low emission strategies, promotion of clean vehicle technology and communications campaigns. We have just launched this year’s grant offer providing £2m for local authorities to bid into.

Air Pollution

Alex Sobel: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department takes on local authorities that consistently do not produce annual air quality reports.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: Defra expects all local authorities to meet their local air quality management obligations, and has powers to direct such local authorities that persistently fail in this regard. Local authorities that do not submit their annual status reports by the required deadline are notified of their statutory obligations under the local air quality management framework. Defra provides guidance to support local authorities in fulfilling these responsibilities, as well as a dedicated helpdesk that provides 24 hour technical support.

Agriculture

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will hold discussions with farming representatives and environmental groups on how to ensure workable environmental practices on UK farms.

George Eustice: I hold a range of meetings with farmers, food producers and environmentalists from across the UK on a variety of issues, including how to embed good environmental practices in farming. I will continue to engage widely and with the devolved administrations as we deliver on our manifesto commitment to develop a new environmental land management system. As set out in our manifesto, this is to be introduced in the next parliament.

Home Office

British Transport Police: Emergency Services Network

Paula Sherriff: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 17 July 2017 to Question 4164, what proportion of the estimated life cycle costs for the emergency service network programme it is planned that the British Transport Police will pay.

Mr Nick Hurd: The emergency services mobile communications programme (ESMCP) will provide the next generation communication system for the 3 emergency ser-vices (police, fire and rescue, and ambulance) and other public safety users. This system will be called the emergency services network (ESN). ESN will provide the next generation integrated critical voice and broadband data ser-vices for the 3 emergency services. In addition to the 3 emergency services, over 300 other organisations, including British Transport Police, are active us-ers of the current emergency communication service. ESMCP is working with them to help manage their transition to ESN. The costs of upgrading to the Emergency Services Network are available in the public domain at:https://www.nao.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/Upgrading-emergency-service-communications-the-Emergency-services-Network.pdf

Drugs: Crime

Stephen Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many (a) arrests and (b) charges were made for offences related to the drug Spice in each of the last 12 months.

Mr Nick Hurd: The Home Office collects and publishes data on the number of arrests at the offence group level, for example, ‘drug offences’. More detailed information on the offence, or the specific drug the individual is in possession of, is not collected. Data on the number of arrests for ‘drug offences’ are published in the ‘Police Powers and Procedures, England and Wales’ statistical bulletin, which can be accessed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/police-powers-and-procedures-england-and-wales The Home Office collects and publishes data on outcomes for notifiable offences including possession and trafficking of controlled drugs. Data relating specifically to the drug Spice are not collected. Outcomes data are published on a quarterly basis and can be accessed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/police-recorded-crime-open-data-tables

Randox Testing Services

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether Randox Testing Services have notified her of any changes to its procedures; and what assessment she has made of the ability of Randox Testing Services to re-test potential unreliable samples.

Mr Nick Hurd: The National Police Chiefs’ Council is overseeing the retesting of samples potentially impacted by the alleged manipulation at RTS. Independent forensic service providers (not RTS) are carrying out the retesting.

Forensic Science

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, further to Written Ministerial Statement HCWS265 for what reasons the Forensic Science Regulator has no statutory powers to enforce standards and whether she plans to introduce such powers.

Mr Nick Hurd: The Government is committed to giving the Forensic Science Regulator statutory powers as soon as the parliamentary timetable allows.

Randox Testing Services

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the Written Statement of 21 November 2017, HCWS265, on toxicology, if she will set out (a) which police forces commissioned Randox Testing Services to investigate criminal offences, and (b) which services were purchased from Randox Testing Services outside the National Forensics Framework.

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the Written Statement of 21 November 2017, HCWS265, on toxicology, what assessment her Department had made of the effectiveness of forensic services carried out by Randox Testing Services before the cases referred to in HCWS265 were identified; and what data her Department held on services carried out by Randox Testing Services.

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Written Statement of 21 November 2017, HCWS265, on toxicology, whether her Department distributed details of contract renewals and tenders to Randox Testing Services through the Pipeline Monitoring system which it operates; and if she will make a statement.

Mr Nick Hurd: The National Police Chiefs’ Council have said that cases across 42 police force areas may have been affected by manipulation. Randox Testing Service’s (RTS’s) suitability to secure a place on the National Forensic Framework Next Generation (NFFNG) - which was awarded in July 2012 and ran until July 2016 - was evaluated as part of the published evaluation criteria of the competitive procurement process. This included assessment of a written bid and site verification visit against pre-determined criteria. Assessment was made in the following areas: accreditation, business continuity, price, quality, security and service provision. During the term of the NFFNG, the Home Office supported policing with ongoing monitoring of forensics service providers including RTS on quality, accreditation, financial stability, security (including staff vetting), business continuity mechanisms, subcontracting arrangements and capacity. The Home Office supported those police forces running mini-competitions under NFFNG by assisting with their assessment of accreditation, business continuity and security. The Home Office held data on services delivered under contracts tendered under the National Forensic Frameworks. This was principally in the form of data submitted to the Forensic Management Information Tool by forensic service providers including RTS. These data included details of the submissions received from police forces, critical dates, offence types, timeliness, cost, and specific type provided against a specified list of forensic products. The pipeline monitoring system was a non-contractual framework management process adopted under the NFFNG. The purpose of the pipeline was to provide visibility to the user community and the marketplace of planned tendering under the NFFNG. The Pipeline was distributed intermittently to the user community and forensic service providers, including RTS, that were parties to the NFFNG.

Randox Testing Services and Trimega

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what matters concerning quality have been referred to the Forensic Services Regulator involving (a) Randox Testing Services and (b) Trimega.

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the Written Statement of 21 November 2017, Toxicology, HCWS 265, whether Randox Testing Services are compliant with the Forensic Science Regulator's codes of practice and conduct.

Mr Nick Hurd: Although sponsored by the Home Office, the regulator is a public appointee and operates independently, on behalf of the criminal justice system as a whole. This independence allows the regulator to make unbiased recommendations and decisions. Accreditation to the regulator’s codes of practice and conduct is undertaken, at the request of organisations, by the United Kingdom Accreditation Service, which is also independent of Government.

Firearms: Licensing

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of new medical procedures for firearm and shotgun licence applications, which were introduced in 2016.

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will request the Medical Evidence Working Group to review the role of the medical profession in firearms licensing; and if she will make a statement.

Mr Nick Hurd: As part of the arrangements introduced in 2016, the police write to the GP of those applying for a firearms licence to seek relevant information regarding the applicant’s medical and mental health before the licence is issued. These arrangements helped to improve information sharing between GPs and the police. We are continuing to work with the police, the relevant medical bodies and others to assess whether further measures are required to ensure that we have, as far as possible, robust and consistent arrangements across all areas of the country. We have no plans to reconvene the Medical Evidence Working Group to assist with this work at the present time.

Crime: Rural Areas

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what her strategy is to combat rural crime during the 2017 Parliament.

Mr Nick Hurd: While the independent Crime Survey for England and Wales continues to show that, for those crimes covered by the Survey, people in rural areas are less likely to be the victims of crime than those in urban areas, we do recognise the impact that crime can have on rural communities. However, it is for chief constables and Police and Crime Commissioners, as operational leaders and elected local representatives, to decide how best to deploy resources to manage and respond to crime, in both rural and urban areas alike.

Breathalysers

Ian Blackford: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 20 November 2017 to Question 112309, whether the document signed by the then Home Office Parliamentary Under Secretary of State is marked By authority of the Secretary of State.

Ian Blackford: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 20 November 2017 to Question 112309, whether the document signed by Mr Paul Goggins bears the seal of office of the Secretary of State for the Home Department.

Ian Blackford: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 20 November 2017 to Question 112309, whether the document signed by the then Home Office Parliamentary Under Secretary of State bears the date of signature.

Mr Nick Hurd: The Type Approval Order for the Intoximeter EC/IR that was signed in June 2005 is publically available at the following link - https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/116987/breath-test-device-2005.pdf

Migration Advisory Committee

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people are employed by the Migration Advisory Committee; and how many employees of that Committee are secondees from her Department.

Brandon Lewis: The Migration Advisory Committee is currently supported by a secretariat of 12 Civil Servants. Members of the Migration Advisory Committee are public appointees, appointed by the Home Secretary. None of the members, whose details can be viewed on Gov.uk https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/migration-advisory-committee, are employed by the Committee.

Migration Advisory Committee

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many reports have been produced by the Head of the Migration Advisory Committee in (a) 2015, (b) 2016 and (c) in 2017 to date.

Brandon Lewis: The reports produced by the Migration Advisory Committee are produced by the entire Committee rather than its Head. The reports produced by the Committee can be viewed on Gov.ukhttps://www.gov.uk/government/publications?departments%5B%5D=migration-advisory-committee

Migration Advisory Committee

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the salary is of the chair of the Migration Advisory Committee.

Brandon Lewis: The remuneration of the Migration Advisory Committee Chair is £40,000 per annum.

Veterinary Medicine: Migrant Workers

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if the Government will take steps to ensure that non-UK citizen veterinarians working in the UK’s agri-food sector will be allowed to remain and work in the UK after the UK has left the EU.

Brandon Lewis: On 26 June we published the White Paper ‘Safeguarding the position of EU citizens in the UK and UK nationals in the EU’, setting out how we will protect the rights of EU nationals currently living in the UK. This is a fair and serious offer which sets out our proposals for the negotiations with the European Union.No EU citizen lawfully residing in the UK will be asked to leave when the UK leaves the EU. The Government has proposed that EU citizens who were resident in the UK before the specified date, and who have five years’ continuous residence, will be able to apply for UK settled status. Other EU citizens who have arrived before the specified date will be able to make an application to stay until they have built up the necessary five continuous years’ residence to be able to apply for UK settled status. The UK remains determined to swiftly reach an agreement that provides reassurance for both EU citizens in the UK and UK nationals in the EU. The Prime Minister has also proposed that there should be an Implementation Period post-exit, while we and the EU put in place the necessary preparations for the future arrangements, and to ensure that people and businesses only have to plan for one set of changes. During this time, EU citizens will continue to be able to come and live and work in the UK.The Government is considering a range of options for the immigration system for EU citizens after the UK leaves the EU. We will take decisions on the long-term arrangements based on evidence. Hence, on 27 July, we commissioned the independent Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) to advise on current patterns of EU migration across all sectors, and the role of migration in the wider economy and society.We will be setting out further proposals for our future immigration arrangements shortly.

Immigration: EU Nationals

Sir Michael Fallon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether an EU citizen who is the spouse of a UK citizen will require a visa or sponsor after the UK leaves the EU when that spouse has been absent from the UK for two years.

Brandon Lewis: In future, an EU citizen spouse applying to join a UK citizen will be subject to either the same rules that apply to non-EU citizens joining UK citizens, or alternatively, to any post-exit immigration arrangements for EU citizens.However, in her Florence speech, the Prime Minister proposed an implementation period of around two years after the UK leaves the EU. The framework for this period, which can be agreed under Article 50, would be the existing structure of EU rules and regulations.

Offenders: Foreign Nationals

David Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many foreign national offenders, who had been issued with removal directions, have (a) made asylum claims (b) lodged judicial review applications and (c) made further representations in each year since 2010?

David Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many non-detained foreign national offenders who have completed their custodial sentences have been removed in each year since 2010.

David Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate she has made of the number of foreign national offenders that have missed a reporting event, and how many have subsequently (i) had contact re-established and (ii) not had contact re-established in each year since 2010?

David Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent estimate he has made of the number of foreign national offenders broken down by offence and region.

Brandon Lewis: Providing the information requested could only be done at disproportionate cost. Home Office publish data on the number of FNOs that have been removed from the UK. This information can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/immigration-statistics-april-to-june-2017-data-tables The Home Office also publish the total number of FNOs living in the community. This information can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/immigration-enforcement-data-august-2017

HM Treasury

Bank Services: Fraud

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the conviction rate for bank fraud against an individual was in each year since 2012.

Stephen Barclay: The information requested is not held by the Treasury.

Shareholders: Taxation

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the effect of the UK leaving the EU on the tax liabilities of UK citizens with shareholdings in companies listed in Europe.

Mel Stride: There are no specific rules for the taxation of UK citizens on their income and gains from shareholdings in non-UK companies listed in a country within Europe, as opposed to non-UK companies listed in a country not within Europe. Such income and gains will typically be taxable in the UK, subject to any relevant Double Taxation Agreements.

Winter Fuel Payments: Taxation

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of making winter fuel allowance taxable at the marginal rate paid by the recipient of that allowance.

Elizabeth Truss: There will be no change to the universal nature of the Winter Fuel Payment for the length of this Parliament and there are no plans to tax Winter Fuel Payments.

Electric Vehicles: Taxation

Shabana Mahmood: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what tax yield has been to the Exchequer of the benefit in kind taxation of electric cars in (a) 2015/16 and (b) 2016/17.

Shabana Mahmood: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the potential effect on the tax yield to the Exchequer of the reduction to 2 per cent of the benefit in kind taxation of electric cars.

Mel Stride: HMRC publishes tax liabilities on company cars by CO2 emissions and fuel type in National Statistics Table 4.4, available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/analysis-of-company-cars-by-co2-emissions-and-fuel-typeThe tax yield in the line ‘less than 95g/km’ is primarily made up of the tax yield from solely electric and electric hybrids. The latest published figures cover the 2014-15 tax year. Figures for 2015-16 will be published in June 2018. The estimated Exchequer impact from the change in appropriate percentages for zero emission cars from April 2020 was set out at in the policy costings document for Autumn Statement 2016. Please see page 23 of; https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/571402/Policy_Costings_AS_2016_web_final.pdf

Tobacco: EU Law

Philip Davies: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment has he has made of the potential effectiveness in dealing with the illicit tobacco trade in the UK of the European Commission's proposals for a tobacco track and trace scheme; and what the Government's policy is on those proposals.

Philip Davies: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what plans he has to (a) implement and (b) enforce a tobacco track and trace scheme under the EU Tobacco Products Directive; and what assessment he has made of the cost to the public purse of implementing and operating such a scheme.

Andrew Jones: The government will be implementing a track and trace scheme for tobacco products in line with our obligations under the Tobacco Products Directive and the associated implementing regulations when agreed by Member States. The scheme will offer new tools for checking the authenticity of tobacco products and identifying where genuine products being sold illicitly have been diverted from the legitimate supply chain. The Directive provides for the implementation and operating costs of the scheme to be borne by the tobacco industry.

European Investment Bank

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment the Government has made of the effect of the UK’s decision to exit the EU on the release of European Investment Bank funds to UK businesses.

Stephen Barclay: Following the UK’s decision to leave the EU, new project approvals have been experiencing some delays due to the EIB carrying out additional due diligence. The Bank is seeking to protect itself against changes to its operating conditions which could come about as a result of a change of status when we leave the EU. The Government has been clear that UK rights and responsibilities should continue to be respected while we are in the EU, consistent with the EU’s own negotiating guidelines. This means that EU finance, including from the EIB Group, must remain available to UK borrowers. Recent progress has been made with two new UK projects being approved in September. The government now expects that new UK projects will continue to be progressed in line with EIB procedure

European Investment Bank: North East

Chi Onwurah: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps the Government is taking to ensure that European Investment Bank funds are made available as soon as possible for disbursal to businesses in the North East through the North East Fund.

Stephen Barclay: Following the UK’s decision to leave the EU, new project approvals have been experiencing some delays due to the European Investment Bank (EIB) carrying out additional due diligence. The Bank is seeking to protect itself against changes to its operating conditions which could come about as a result of a change of status when we leave the EU. The Government has been clear that UK rights and responsibilities should continue to be respected while we are in the EU, consistent with the EU’s own negotiating guidelines. This means that EU finance, including from the EIB Group, must remain available to UK borrowers. On the North East Fund, specifically, HM Treasury officials have been working closely with the EIB to ensure that their application is urgently moved forward. Recently, progress has been made and we understand that the EIB will now progress the North East Fund’s application in line with EIB procedure.

Tobacco: EU Law

Philip Davies: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the Government's position is on implementing an EU licensing scheme for the tobacco market; and if he will make a statement.

Philip Davies: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will defer the implementation of the European tobacco track and trace scheme in the UK given the proposed commencement date of that scheme is after the UK leaves the EU.

Philip Davies: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what economic assessment he has made of the EU Commission's proposals for a pan-European tobacco track and trace scheme.

Philip Davies: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether a pan-European tobacco track and trace scheme accords with the better regulation principles.

Andrew Jones: The government will be implementing a track and trace scheme for tobacco products in line with our existing obligations and the timetable set out in the Tobacco Products Directive and the World Health Organisation Framework Convention on Tobacco Control Illicit Trade Protocol. The government is not aware of any EU plans for a licensing scheme for the tobacco market. The government has worked on the draft implementing legislation for the relevant parts of the Directive with the Commission and other Member States to try to ensure that, in line with better regulation principles, the system adopted is effective, efficient and proportionate in tackling the trade in illicit tobacco products which puts public health at risk and avoids the payment of duty. The government is not yet in a position to provide an assessment of the economic impact of the system. However, as a tool to help tackle the illicit market, the scheme will have a positive impact on the economy and public finances.

Customs

Christine Jardine: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to pages 5 and 16 of the Customs Bill White Paper (Cm 9502), whether the Government plans to negotiate a (a) highly streamlined customs arrangement or (b) new customs partnership with the EU.

Mel Stride: In ‘Future customs arrangement – a future partnership paper’, the Government made it clear that in assessing the options for the UK’s future customs arrangements outside the EU Customs Union, the Government will be guided by what delivers the greatest economic advantage to the UK, and by three strategic objectives:Ensuring UK-EU trade is as frictionless as possible;Avoiding a ‘hard border’ between Ireland and Northern Ireland; andEstablishing an independent international trade policy. The Government has identified two broad approaches to a future customs relationship with the EU that would facilitate these objectives – the ‘highly streamlined customs arrangement’ and a ‘new customs partnership’. The Government is engaging with businesses from across the UK in order to develop these options further in advance of negotiations and ensure they meets business needs and contribute to the UK’s future prosperity.

UK Trade With EU

Ruth Cadbury: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the effect on small and medium-sized enterprises of the requirement to obtain documents to transport equipment between the UK and EU Member States when the UK leaves the EU.

Mel Stride: The precise future arrangements for transporting equipment between the UK and EU Members States following EU Exit will be dependent on the outcome of the negotiations. The Government is working hard to ensure that businesses have the necessary support and guidance structures in place to be ready for future customs arrangements. To this end, the Government is engaging with businesses, including small and medium-sized enterprises, in every sector and region of the UK economy to assess the effect of EU Exit on them.

Revenue and Customs: Disability

Chris Law: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether HM Revenue and Customs' regional centres meet British Standard 8300 relating to the accessibility needs of disabled people.

Mel Stride: HMRC’s Regional Centres will meet or exceed British Standard 8300. HMRC has, so far, signed eight new leases for its regional centres of which seven are in construction. HMRC is receiving input from its staff, Disability Network and external experts to feed into the design of the buildings, ensuring accessible workspaces for all of its staff.

Emergency Services: Scotland

Alan Brown: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many meetings he has had with the hon. Member for Aberdeen South to discuss a VAT exemption for police and fires services in Scotland; and when those meetings took place.

Alan Brown: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many meetings he has had with the hon. Member for Gordon to discuss a VAT exemption for police and fires services in Scotland; and when those meetings took place.

Alan Brown: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many meetings he has had with the hon. Member for West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine to discuss a VAT exemption for police and fires services in Scotland; and when those meetings took place.

Alan Brown: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many meetings he has had with the hon. Member for Angus to discuss a VAT exemption for police and fires services in Scotland; and when those meetings took place.

Alan Brown: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many meetings he has had with the hon. Member for Stirling to discuss a VAT exemption for police and fires services in Scotland; and when those meetings took place.

Alan Brown: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many meetings he has had with the hon. Member for Ochil and South Perthshire to discuss a VAT exemption for police and fires services in Scotland; and when those meetings took place.

Alan Brown: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many meetings he has had with the hon. Member for Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk to discuss a VAT exemption for police and fires services in Scotland; and when those meetings took place.

Mel Stride: Government ministers regularly meet with Members of Parliament to discuss policy issues.

Credit: Regulation

Mr Roger Godsiff: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if his Department will make an assessment of the potential merits of (a) capping interest rates and (b) other further regulation in the rent-to-own sector.

Stephen Barclay: The government transferred the regulation of consumer credit, including rent-to-own, to the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) in 2014. The government has given the FCA strong powers to protect consumers, including the power to cap all forms of credit, and the FCA can do so if it thinks it is necessary to protect consumers. In 2015, the FCA capped the cost of payday lending, and the FCA has said that it will keep the issue of capping the cost of credit in other markets under review. The government welcomes the ongoing work of the FCA to review the high-cost credit market, including the rent-to-own sector. The FCA published a feedback statement in July 2017, noting concerns in rent-to-own, catalogue credit, home-collected credit, and overdrafts. The FCA aims to consult on proposed remedies in Spring 2018. The FCA recently announced that BrightHouse, a rent-to-own firm, will pay over £14.8 million in redress to 249,000 customers in respect of agreements which may not have been affordable, and payments which should have been refunded.

Equality

Dan Jarvis: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of the 10 July 2017 to Question 2747, what recent steps the Government has taken to reduce (a) geographical, (b) wealth and (c) generational inequalities.

Elizabeth Truss: The Budget set out a long-term vision for an economy that is fit for the future, ensuring that the next generation have more opportunities than the one before and everyone can prosper wherever they live and whatever their background. This vision was underlined by: £15bn of financial support available for housing over the next five years, to reduce the cost of purchasing a home and help people to get a foot on the housing ladder.the largest increases to the National Minimum Wage youth rates in ten years, the new rates will apply from April 2018.a £1.7 billion Transforming Cities Fund which will promote local growth and productivity within city regions.a new devolution deal with North of Tyne authorities, which will see £600 million of investment over 30 years and create a new mayor elected in 2019.a new £337 million investment to replace the 40-year-old rolling stock on the Tyne & Wear Metro with modern energy-efficient trains.a £300 million investment that ensures HS2 infrastructure can accommodate future Northern Powerhouse and Midlands Engine rail services.the freezing of tuition fees for 2018/19 and an increase in the earnings threshold at which post-2012 student loans begin to be repaid (from 2018/19).a package of measures to raise educational attainment in maths and computer science, so that young people have the skills they need to get on in life.This government is committed to ensuring opportunities are shared in every part of the country.since 2010, the unemployment rate has fallen the most in Yorkshire & the Humber (-4.7 percentage points) and Wales (-4.4 percentage points).since 2010, earnings of the average full-time employee have grown fastest in Northern Ireland (14.6%) and the North East of England (13.8%).We are building a country where everyone can share in our economic prosperity.in 2015-16, income inequality fell to its lowest level since the mid-1980s.the proportion of full-time jobs that are low paid is at its lowest level in at least 20 years.the share of total income tax paid by the top 1% is 27.7%; higher than in any year under the previous Labour government.strong employment growth has particularly benefitted poorer households, where working-age adults are 4.6 percentage points more likely to be in work than in 2010-11.

Industry

Dan Jarvis: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the answer of the 10 July 2017 to Question 2747, how the Government plans to ensure that the industrial strategy drives productivity, creates jobs and ensures sustainable economic growth across the UK after the UK leaves the EU

Elizabeth Truss: The Industrial Strategy sets out a clear plan for how we can boost the productivity and earning power of people throughout the UK, and ensure that our country can embrace the opportunities presented by technological change. The Budget announced a number of measures that will support the Industrial Strategy, such as the £1.7bn Transforming Cities Fund to support local transport and £2.3bn more for R&D in 2021/22. The Industrial Strategy will build on these Budget commitments by explaining the action Government will take, to work in partnership with the private sector, encourage investment in the technologies of the future, and ensure every part of the UK can share in the rewards. It sets out our ambition to build an economy that is open for business and exports UK technology and expertise around the globe.

EU Grants and Loans

Dan Jarvis: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of the 26 June 2017 to Question 238, when the Government plans to provide further information on the Shared Prosperity Fund.

Elizabeth Truss: Following the UK’s departure from the European Union, we will launch the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, in line with the Government’s manifesto commitment. In answer to Question 238, I stated that further details would be set out in due course. We intend to consult next year on the precise design and priorities for the fund.

Economic Growth: Sheffield

Gill Furniss: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he plans to provide funding for economic development in Sheffield when (a) local growth and (b) EU funding ends.

Elizabeth Truss: The government has guaranteed funding for all European Structural and Investment Fund projects signed before the UK leaves the European Union, provided they are value for money and in line with domestic priorities. Following the UK’s departure from the European Union, we will launch the UK Shared Prosperity Fund; this will use money returning from the EU to provide funding for economic development and local growth across the UK.

Cabinet Office

Government Departments: Buildings

Jon Trickett: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether his Department has a target for the number of homes to be built on disposed of Government estate assets.

Caroline Nokes: An error has been identified in the written answer given on 19 October 2017.The correct answer should have been:

The Government has a target to release land for at least 160,000 homes in England from the central government estate by 2020.The Cabinet Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Caroline Nokes: The Government has a target to release land for at least 160,000 homes in England from the central government estate by 2020.The Cabinet Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Cabinet Office: Sick Pay

Tommy Sheppard: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the cost of sickness pay to staff in his Department was in each of the 10 years prior to June 2016.

Caroline Nokes: Holding answer received on 12 October 2017



The table below sets out the cost of sickness pay paid to staff in my Department each year from 1 April 2009 to 30th June 2016. Information about the cost of sickness pay paid to staff in my Department before April 2009 is not available.  2009*2010201120122013201420152016**Statutory Sick Pay£269£1,567£5,163£2,063£4,903£3,266£6,628£4,928Occupational Sick Pay£139,535£203,025£528,810£406,837£405,908£439,844£465,716£290,081Total£141,813£206,602£535,984£410,911£412,824£445,124£474,358£297,025 * From 1 Apr 2009   **To 30 Jun 2016Information about sickness absence in the Cabinet Office is published on the Cabinet Office website at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/cabinet-office-absence-data The most recent published figures show that for the year to 30 June 2017, the Cabinet Office has one of the lowest recorded sickness rates across the Civil Service at 2.9 average working days lost when compared to the latest Civil Service average of 7.0 . My Department is committed to reducing work related absence due to mental illness and has a number of services in place to support members of staff suffering from such conditions. Our Workwell community is staffed by volunteers who aim to make Cabinet Office a happy and healthy workplace through a number of interventions including a listening service for staff. We also offer a 24 hour counselling support helpline through our Employee Assistance Programme provider and advocate early referral to our occupational health service where appropriate, for advice on a number of conditions including mental health.

Royal Parks: Repairs and Maintenance

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what safeguards in relation to the maintenance of assets were imposed on the Royal Parks when it altered its status to become a charity in 2016.

Caroline Nokes: The new charity is charged with maintaining all of the assets for which the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport has ultimate responsibility. This is determined in the contract with the new charity, which includes five key performance indicators related to this role. This function is reinforced in the objectives of the new charity, one of which is to "protect, conserve maintain and care for the Royal Parks, including their natural and designed landscapes and built environment, to a high standard consistent with their historic, horticultural, environmental and architectural importance.

Cabinet Office: Procurement

Jon Trickett: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what proportion of his Department's spend in the last year has been with Government strategic suppliers.

Caroline Nokes: ANSWERFollowing a search of our paper and electronic records, I have established that the following information is held: Strategic SupplierDebitCommentsAccenture£ 43,440.00Amey£ -Arqiva£ -Atkins£ 105,210.00ATKINS LTD, ATKINS MANAGEMENT CONSULTANTSAtos£ 6,583.30Babcock£ -BAE Systems£ 2,080,266.40BAE SYSTEMS, BAE SYSTEMS APPLIED INTELLIGENCE LTDBT Plc£ 916,087.51BT, BT GLOBAL SERVICES 2Capgemini£ 36,751.51Capita£ 24,834,356.30CAPITA, CAPITA BUSINESS SERVICES LTD, CAPITA IT SERVICES LTD, CAPITA RESOURCING LTDCarillion£ -CGI£ 114,599.60DHL£ -DXC£ -Engie£ -Fujitsu£ 8,839,923.10FUJITSU SERVICES, FUJITSU SERVICES LTDG4S£ 345.03IBM£ 20,099.50Interserve£ 6,870,620.25INTERSERVE CATERING SERVICES LTD, INTERSERVE FACILITIES MANAGEMENT LTDISS Facility Services Ltd£ -Microsoft£ 225,020.71Mitie£ 474,576.51MITIE BUSINESS SERVICES LTD, MITIE FACILITIES SERVICES LTDMotorola£ -Oracle£ -Serco£ 192,925.98Sodexo£ 8,824.36Sopra Steria£ 81,567.79Virgin Media£ 781,401.90VIRGIN MEDIA LTD, VIRGIN MEDIA BUSINESS, VIRGIN MONEY FOUNDATIONVodafone£ 1,494,367.17

Grenfell Tower: Fires

Richard Burgon: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the total amount of funding allocated by the Government for legal representation to victims of the Grenfell Tower fire and their families was on 3 November 2017.

Caroline Nokes: Holding answer received on 13 November 2017



The Prime Minister has made clear that survivors, families of victims and local residents affected by the Grenfell Tower tragedy will have government funding for legal representation. This is confirmed by the Prime Minister’s notice of determination to the Inquiry, published on 22 August. The Inquiry will publish details of legal costs in due course.

Leader of the House: Telephone Services

Jon Trickett: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, which public telephone lines for his Office's services are charged at higher rates; and how much was taken by each such telephone line in the last 12 months.

Caroline Nokes: Cabinet Office has no public telephone lines that are charged at higher rates.

Social Services

Tom Brake: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, when the consultation on social care announced in the Queen's Speech 2017 will begin; and for how long that consultation will last.

Tom Brake: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will ensure that the consultation on social care, announced in the Queen's Speech 2017, includes local authorities and people with dementia.

Damian Green: The Government has committed to publishing a Green Paper on care and support by summer 2018. The precise timings will be confirmed nearer the time. In developing the Green Paper, it is right that we take the time needed to debate the many complex issues and listen to the perspectives of experts and care users, building consensus around reforms which can succeed. This is why we are starting a process of initial engagement over the coming months through which Government will work with experts, stakeholders, care users and carers to shape the long-term reforms that will be proposed in the Green Paper. And when the Green Paper is published, it will then be subject to a full public consultation, providing a further opportunity for interested parties to give their views.

Government Departments: Databases

Mr Steve Reed: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what plans he has to replicate the Ministry of Justice Data Lab model across other government departments.

Caroline Nokes: Holding answer received on 20 November 2017



There are no plans to replicate the Ministry of Justice Datalab model. A number of government departments have created and operate similar facilities where data can be securely accessed.

Blood: Contamination

Andrea Jenkyns: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what deadline his Office is working to regarding the appointment of a chair for the contaminated blood inquiry; and when that appointment will be announced.

Damian Green: I refer the Honourable Member to my Written Ministerial Statement of 3 November, in which I commit to making a further statement on the running of the inquiry before the end of this year.

Government Departments: Procurement

Jon Trickett: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what guidance is given to departments on the size of profit margins given to private contractors when awarding contracts.

Caroline Nokes: The overarching principle in all public procurement is to secure the best value for money for the taxpayer. One tool available to departments to achieve this is Open Book Contract Management (OBCM), a structured process for the sharing and management of charges and costs and operational and performance data between the supplier and the client. OBCM should be used on those contracts where the additional cost is justified by the perceived level of benefits and risk. Guidance on the use of OBCM can be found on GOV.UK:https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/525283/obcm_guidance_final.pdf

Department for International Trade

Department for International Trade: Sick Leave

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, how many days' sick leave officials in his Department took for reasons relating to stress in the last year.

Greg Hands: According to departmental records in the 12 month period ending 30 June 2017, there were 771 days absence recorded due to stress, from a total of 2,628 staff on the Department’s payroll. In total this represents an average absence rate for stress of 0.13%.

Department for International Trade: Sick Leave

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, (a) how many and (b) what proportion of officials in his Department took sick leave for reasons relating to stress in the last year; and what proportion of total sick leave in his Department that leave was.

Greg Hands: According to departmental records for the 12 month period ending 30 June 2017, the number of employees who took sick leave for reasons relating to stress was 18, out of a total of 2,628 staff on the Department’s payroll. The proportion of employees who recorded an absence and who took sick leave for reasons relating to stress was 0.7%.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

Television: Licensing

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, how much the BBC will receive from licence fee payments in each year to 2022.

Matt Hancock: The latest BBC annual report and accounts shows that its 2016/17 licence fee income was £3.787 billion. The government does not hold information on projected BBC licence fee income for future years. This is because the amount the BBC receives each year in licence fee payments is dependent on a number of factors including household growth, customer behaviour, and the administration and enforcement of the TV licensing system.

Gambling: Prizes

Carolyn Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what data source her Department used to inform the recent consultation on stakes and prizes on the percentage of problem and at-risk gamblers for various different stakes.

Tracey Crouch: The data source that informed the percentage of problem and at-risk gamblers for various stake levels on B2 gaming machines came from research commissioned by GambleAware, reported in January 2017, and can be found at the following link: https://about.gambleaware.org/media/1432/follow-up-study-of-loyalty-card-customers-report.pdf The figures presented in the consultation document came from secondary analysis of the research data which was undertaken by the Responsible Gambling Strategy Board (RGSB), who also summarise this in their advice in relation to the Review of gaming machines and social responsibility measures, which can be found at the following link: http://www.rgsb.org.uk/PDF/Advice-in-relation-to-the-DCMS-review-of-gaming-machines-and-social-responsibility-measures.pdf

Broadband: Cornwall

Scott Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what progress has been made on the roll-out of superfast broadband to (a) rural areas and (b) Cornwall.

Matt Hancock: Information held by the Department does not distinguish between rural and urban areas in regards to superfast broadband coverage. Superfast broadband of at least 24 Mbps is available to over 94 per cent of homes and businesses in the UK. According to Thinkbroadband(http://labs.thinkbroadband.com/local/cornwall,E06000052), in Cornwall almost 90% of premises now have access to superfast broadband, up from 33% in 2011. Current contracted delivery will extend coverage by a further 3% by 2019 and Superfast Cornwall are currently beginning a further procurement process for additional superfast coverage beyond that. For all premises that do not have superfast broadband the government will ensure universal broadband of at least 10Mbps.

Arts: North Cornwall

Scott Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, how much her Department has allocated in arts grants to North Cornwall constituency in each of the last three years.

John Glen: Government public funding for the arts is distributed by Arts Council England. The amount of arts investment provided to the North Cornwall constituency is as follows: 2015/16: £892,2612016/17: £826,2392017/18 (Year to date) £790,334

Darts: Clubs

Conor McGinn: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what financial support is being provided by her Department to (a) grassroots darts clubs and (b) disabled grassroots darts clubs.

Tracey Crouch: Government's Sporting Future strategy is clear that we want more people to get active and to enjoy the many benefits that sport and physical activity bring. Since 2010, Government has not made any specific investments in darts clubs. However, during this time Sport England has invested £3,594,300 in 68 projects which include darts as one of the activities it offers to the local community. This includes £267,595 invested in five multi-sports projects which include darts and have a specific focus on disability.

Sportsgrounds: Safety

Dr Rosena Allin-Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport what the Government's policy is on safe standing at sporting events; and whether the Government plans to amend its policy on safe standing?

Tracey Crouch: The Government believes that all-seater stadiums are the best means to ensure the safety and security of spectators at football grounds in England and Wales. All-seater stadiums have helped improve crowd management, crowd behaviour and policing. They provide better and more comfortable facilities to enjoy football matches, which has helped encourage inclusivity and diversity amongst those attending. While we are committed to monitoring the developments at Celtic and Shrewsbury Town FC, Government is not, at present, persuaded by the case put forward to re-introduce standing accommodation in grounds covered by the all-seater requirement.

Sports: Public Participation

Dr Rosena Allin-Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what progress her Department has made on establishing the Inter-Ministerial Group referred to in Sporting Future: A New Strategy for an Active Nation, published in December 2015.

Tracey Crouch: We have established an Inter-Ministerial Group on Healthy Living which will meet shortly and brings together a range of departments to consider how sport and physical activity could be made more widely accessible, so that they benefit everyone.

European Capital of Culture

Chris Law: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether her Department was consulted on the European Commission's decision to discontinue participation of the UK in the European Capital of Culture competition.

John Glen: The UK Government was informed of the European Commission’s decision on 22 November 2017 with no prior consultation. The matter has been urgently raised with the European Commission and discussions are continuing. The Government is also in discussions with the five cities that submitted bids to host the European Capital of Culture in 2023.

European City of Culture

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, on what date her Department informed local authorities that they might not be able to bid to be the 2023 European City of Culture.

John Glen: The European Commission wrote to the Permanent Secretary for the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport on 22 November 2017. A copy of the letter has been placed in the Library. The five candidate cities were informed of the European Commission’s decision on 23 November 2017.

European City of Culture

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether her Department provided any advice to local authorities on whether they would be able to bid to be the 2023 European City of Culture.

John Glen: On 16 December 2016, the UK Government published on guidance for cities wishing to enter the competition, including a statement on the impact of the UK’s decision to leave the EU. The information can be found at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/european-capital-of-culture-2023-uk-competition

Northern Ireland Office

Blood: Northern Ireland

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what provision the recent Budget for Northern Ireland makes for ex gratia support for Northern Ireland citizens affected by contaminated blood; and whether that support is higher than the support provided in the previous fiscal year.

James Brokenshire: The Northern Ireland Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Department of Health

NHS: Migrant Workers

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many non-UK EU nationals were employed by the NHS in oncology in each of the last three years.

Mr Philip Dunne: NHS Digital publishes workforce statistics and the following table shows the headcount figure of non-United Kingdom European Union nationals employed by the National Health Service in oncology at 31 August 2014 to 2017. NHS Hospital and Community Health Services (HCHS): Staff working in the NHS in oncology as at 31 August each specified year (Headcount). Staff in oncology (Headcount)August-2014August-2015August-2016August-2017Non-UK EU nationals573678813854 Source: NHS Digital monthly HCHS workforce statistics

GP at Hand

Jo Platt: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 20 November 2017 to Question 112428, what the cost of the GP at hand service has been to the public purse to date.

Steve Brine: GP at Hand is a practice that holds a General Medical Service contract. Practices are paid per weighted registered patient and, as patients register or de-register with GP at Hand, this will alter the payment to the practice. Funding follows the registered patients, so if patients are leaving their current practice for GP at Hand the funding will move to that practice. The practice list sizes are counted and payments adjusted on the first of each quarter and so any payment adjustments will be made in January.

GP at Hand

Jo Platt: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether his Department plans to rollout the GP at Hand service nationwide.

Steve Brine: GP at Hand is not a service that has been specifically commissioned by the Department or NHS England. It is a locally developed service commissioned by Hammersmith and Fulham Clinical Commissioning Group and operated by a general practice in London (Dr Jefferies and Partners) in collaboration with a private technology provider (Babylon). The Department and NHS England are following the development of the GP at Hand service to better understand how digital services can be adopted in a way that safeguards patients, delivers a quality service and supports the future sustainability of the National Health Service.

Patients: Transport

Jo Platt: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 16 November 2017 Question 111963 on patients: transport, for what reasons his Department will not commit​ to monitor the average duration of transfers of care.

Jackie Doyle-Price: Placing a new, additional data collection requirement on National Health Service or local government organisations to track the duration of transfers of care for each individual patient would be disproportionate at this time. No one should stay in a hospital bed longer than necessary and the Government is committed to reducing delayed transfers of care (DToC). Information is collected monthly that allows progress against expectations for DToC reductions to be assessed.

Pharmaceutical Price Regulation Scheme

Dr Paul Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the success of the Pharmaceutical Price Regulation Scheme in ensuring patients can access the most effective and innovative medicines.

Steve Brine: Use of innovative medicines in England is reported through the innovation scorecard. The most recent publication was in October 2017 and is available at: https://digital.nhs.uk/catalogue/PUB30106 Since 2014, the medicines in the scorecard have changed as new medicines have become available. The scorecard shows that for the 12 months from April 2016 to March 2017, compared to the previous 12 months where comparable data is available, 73% of innovative medicines covered by the scorecard were prescribed more.

Radiotherapy

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, in which ten areas of England do residents have the longest travel times to their nearest radiotherapy units.

Steve Brine: This information is not held centrally. Public Health England advises that a postcode-level dataset that will enable the calculation of travel times to radiotherapy units is currently in development by the National Cancer Registry and Analysis Service. Results will be published in 2018.

Mental Health Services: Staff

Mrs Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 8 November 2017 to Question 111078, how many mental health staff have been employed in the NHS in each year 2012-13 excluding support to ST&T staff, senior managers and managers, central functions and hotel, property and estates staff.

Jackie Doyle-Price: NHS Digital publishes workforce statistics and the following table shows full time equivalent figures for the specified mental health staff groups working in mental health and learning disability trusts in England from 31 August 2012 to 31 August 2013. The staff groups included are: Hospital and Community Health Services (HCHS) doctors, nurses and health visitors, midwives, ambulance staff, scientific, therapeutic and technical staff, support to doctors, nurses and midwives, support to ambulance staff and unknown. NHS HCHS: Staff working in the National Health Service at mental health and learning disability trusts or clinical commissioning groups as at 31 August each specified year (full time equivalent (fte)).  August 2012August 2013Specified staff employed at Mental Health and Learning Disability Trusts (fte)128,330130,056Source: NHS Digital monthly HCHS workforce statistics.

Patients: Sexuality

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what discussions he has had with doctors about the recent NHS England guidance on sexual orientation monitoring.

Steve Brine: None. The Sexual Orientation Monitoring Information Standard was developed by the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) Foundation on behalf of NHS England. As part of this work, organisations across the healthcare system were consulted to seek their views. The LGBT Foundation gathered intelligence and consultation data from a wide range of sources including individual general practitioners (GPs), GP practices and small, medium and large National Health Service foundation trusts, and health and social care trusts.

Sepsis

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to reduce sepsis in hospital wards.

Mr Philip Dunne: In September 2017, NHS England published the second Cross-System Sepsis Action Plan which sets out existing and new cross-system measures to support early diagnosis and timely treatment of sepsis in a range of settings, including in hospital wards. The Action Plan also highlights existing preventative measures such as improving hand hygiene and good care of catheters to reduce infection risk and thus lower the chance of sepsis. Through the Commissioning for Quality and Innovation (CQUIN) scheme, NHS England is incentivising acute providers to improve the identification and timely treatment of sepsis. For in-patients this is already delivering change; in-patient assessment for sepsis increased from 62% to 78% and timely treatment has increased from 58% to 76% since this part of the CQUIN started in April 2016. In September 2017, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) published the sepsis Quality Standard which supports front line staff in implementing the 2016 NICE guideline on sepsis. Also in September, NHS England published the ‘Sepsis guidance implementation advice for adults’ which provides further practical implementation advice on the NICE guideline and includes specific guidance on recognising sepsis in hospitals. As part of our work on reducing antimicrobial resistance, NHS Improvement is leading work on the Government’s ambition to reduce healthcare-associated Gram-negative bloodstream infections, which can progress to sepsis, in England by 50% by 2020/21.

Incontinence: Childbirth

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to help women who experience incontinence after childbirth.

Steve Brine: Women who experience incontinence following childbirth can access a range of treatment depending on their individual needs, from primary care advice on management through to physiotherapy, medical management and where required surgical intervention. NHS England is the responsible commissioner for interventions where a woman is experiencing complex or persistent issues with incontinence that requires specialist input. The Women’s and Children’s Programme of Care are currently reviewing the complex gynaecology specifications to ensure women continue to be able to access high quality care from the appropriate providers. These will be going to public consultation in the next few months.

Hearing Aids

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when he expects the new carina hearing device to be available on the NHS.

Steve Brine: The carina hearing device is a cochlear implant which is currently available through the National Health Service. It is only considered to be suitable for a small number of patients, and is available through a number of auditory implant centres including Oxford, Sheffield and Cambridge. The NHS England Specialised Ear Surgery and Ophthalmology service specification covers cochlear implants and implantable devices:https://www.england.nhs.uk/commissioning/spec-services/npc-crg/group-d/d06/

Meningitis

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recent discussions he has had with the (a) Royal College of Nursing and (b) other bodies on stem cell medicine and prevention of meningitis.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The Department is in regular contact with bodies such as NHS Blood and Transplant and Anthony Nolan with regards to stem cell medicine, particularly with regards to bone marrow and umbilical cord blood transplantation. Public Health England provides vital information on meningitis and septicaemia to parents through the Start4life Information Service for Parents email programme which reaches over 430,000 parents of 0-5 year olds across England and through our immunisation leaflets.

Anaemia

Lee Rowley: To ask the Secretary of State of Health, what steps the Department is taking to promote awareness and improve the rate of diagnosis of anaemia.

Steve Brine: Iron deficiency anaemia is the most prevalent type of anaemia and is also the most common deficiency in the world, affecting over 2 billion people worldwide. NHS Choices provides advice on the symptoms of iron deficiency anaemia, such as fatigue, palpitations, pale complexion and advises anyone experiencing those symptoms speak to their general practitioner (GP). NHS Choices also provides advice on the less common types of anaemia related to levels of vitamin B12 or folate. It is the responsibility of GPs, using their clinical judgement and supported by relevant guidance, to arrange the appropriate tests and investigations that may lead to a diagnosis. The full blood count, one the most commonly used tests in the National Health Service, is a broad screening tool used to provide a picture of patient health and check for indications of disorders such as anaemia, infection, and many other diseases. A range of guidance on the further testing and treatment of all types anaemia is available from sources including the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence Clinical Knowledge Summaries (CKS) website. The CKS information on iron deficiency anaemia can be found at the following link: https://cks.nice.org.uk/anaemia-iron-deficiency

Tobacco

Bob Blackman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much his Department has budgeted for 2017-18 for a grant to support implementation of the Tobacco Control Plan for England.

Bob Blackman: To ask the Secretary of State, when his Department plans to complete the approvals process to enable the competition for a grant to support implementation of the Tobacco Control Plan to proceed.

Bob Blackman: To ask the Secretary of State, what plans his Department has to open the competition for the grant to support implementation of the Tobacco Control Plan for England this year.

Bob Blackman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether the grant competition to support implementation of the Tobacco Control Plan for England will contain provisions for future year funding to cover the full length of the Plan from 2017 to 2022.

Steve Brine: The Department is still considering the scope and procurement process for grants to support the implementation of the Tobacco Control Plan. Cabinet Office standards require all new grants to be subject to competition. Our intention is to make any future grant available on a multi-year basis, subject to an appropriate business case and satisfactory performance on the part of the funded bodies.

Influenza: Vaccination

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to ensure that children are vaccinated against flu croup.

Steve Brine: Croup can be caused by a range of respiratory viruses; the flu vaccine can help protect against croup which develops as a consequence of the influenza virus. The flu vaccine can only reduce croup caused by influenza. The National Health Service annual influenza vaccination programme delivers vaccine to healthy children. For 2017, those aged two to three years of age, those in reception class, and school years one to four are all eligible. To encourage and improve uptake, the flu vaccine for those in reception class and school years one to four are delivered in the school setting. The programmes aims to help protect young children and to reduce the wider spread of flu in households and communities.

Pregnancy: Screening

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what information his Department holds on the number of babies diagnosed pre-birth  with a disability and subsequently born without that disability in each year since 2010; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Philip Dunne: This information is not collected centrally.

Pregnancy: Counselling

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what counselling the Government provides to pregnant women expecting a child with a disability; when the adequacy of such counselling was last evaluated; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Philip Dunne: The services that are delivered by each trust are informed by NHS service specifications. The service specifications relating to providing counselling to pregnant women expecting a child with a disability can be found here: https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/e12-fetal-medi.pdf This outlines the requirement of each trust to provide counselling and support to a woman when a fetal anomaly is detected. This will include treatment options, risks and potential impacts on quality of life/life expectancy restrictions linked to the identified condition. As counselling is provided on a trust by trust basis the department is not able to provide information on the frequency at which each trust evaluates their counselling services.

Pregnancy: Screening

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many women whose child was identified pre-birth as having a disability (a) had an abortion and (b) continued with the pregnancy, in each of the last three years.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The Department collects and publishes statistics for the number of abortions that are carried out under the statutory ground E (risk that the child would be born ‘seriously handicapped’). This data is published in tables 9a-c of the 2016 abortion statistics in England and Wales:https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/652083/Abortion_stats_England_Wales_2016.pdfPublic Health England collects data on congenital anomalies as part of the National congenital anomaly and rare disease registration service. Information on the timing of diagnosis and outcome is published in chapter 2 of the Congenital anomaly statistics 2015:https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/630736/Congenital_anomaly_statistics_2015.pdf

Abortion: Cleft Palate

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many abortions there were in each of the last 15 years in which the fetus had a cleft (a) palate or (b) lip, broken down by (i) grounds for the abortion, (ii) length of gestation at the time of abortion and (iii) health authority.

Jackie Doyle-Price: Data on cleft palate and cleft lip are not identifiable separately within the abortion statistics. Information on the combined number of legal abortions under Ground E for primary medical reason of cleft lip and palate, by gestation, for residents of England and Wales is set out in the following table:Cleft lip and Cleft palateYearAll gestationsGestation 24 weeks and above20022020036020043020055120062020070020082020093020107020114020124020139020141002015110201690 The Department holds abortion data by clinical commissioning group (CCG) and local authority (LA), rather than by health authority. Data for cleft lip and palate has not been released broken down by either CCG or LA due to the disclosive nature of the data as there are small numbers in each area.

Abortion

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many abortions on the grounds of rectifiable disabilities were performed (a) after 24 weeks' gestation and (b) during the 24th week in each of the last three years.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The Department does not record information on whether a disability is rectifiable. Abortion data are recorded by ICD-10 code and published in annual reports, split by gestation (all gestations, and gestations 24 weeks and over). The most recent data for the year 2016 is published in table 9a in the below link:https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/652084/Abortion_stats_England_Wales_2016_tables.xlsx

Pregnancy: Advisory Services

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what information his Department provides to women who know they are expecting a child with a disability on the experiences of families who have raised a child with that disability.

Mr Philip Dunne: The information that is provided to women expecting a child with a disability is provided on a trust by trust basis, therefore the Department is not able to provide specific information on this. Information can be found online on the NHS Choices website at the following link:https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/pregnancy-and-baby/pages/what-if-antenatal-screening-finds-a-problem.aspx

Body Modification: Regulation

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to regulate (a) extreme body modification, (b) tongue splitting, (c) ear reshaping, (d) under-the-skin implants and (e) tattoos.

Mr Philip Dunne: The Government is committed to supporting people to make informed and safe choices about any procedure they are considering and to make sure that the person they choose is appropriately qualified, registered and insured. The provision of cosmetic surgery, where the surgical procedure involves the use of instruments or equipment which are inserted into the body is a regulated activity and providers are required to register with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) and meet the essential requirements of safety and quality. On 31 October 2017, regulations came into force which impose a duty on the CQC to rate and assess the performance of providers of surgical procedures for cosmetic purposes where the procedure requires intravenous sedation, general anaesthesia or the insertion of an implant. The Government is currently exploring options to extend this, including making changes to how we regulate activities, providers or practitioners of cosmetic interventions.

Abortion

Martin Vickers: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what information his Department holds on the number of women expecting a baby with a disability who (a) did and (b) did not have an abortion in each of the last three years; and if he will make a statement.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The Department collects and publishes statistics for the number of abortions that are carried out under the statutory ground E (risk that the child would be born ‘seriously handicapped’). This data is published in tables 9a-c of the 2016 abortion statistics in England and Wales at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/652083/Abortion_stats_England_Wales_2016.pdfPublic Health England collects data on congenital anomalies as part of the National congenital anomaly and rare disease registration service. Information on the timing of diagnosis and outcome is published in chapter 2 of the Congenital anomaly statistics 2015 which is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/630736/Congenital_anomaly_statistics_2015.pdf

Abortion: Down's Syndrome

Martin Vickers: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many babies found to have Down 's syndrome were aborted in each of the last three years, broken down by (a) gestation of the pregnancy and (b) health authority area.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The data on Down Syndrome are provided in the attached tables. Data for length of gestation is presented in table 1 for all gestations and for gestations 24 weeks and over. The Department holds abortion data by clinical commissioning group (CCG) and local authority, rather than Health Authority. Data for CCGs is presented in table 2. This data has been aggregated to CCG region due to the disclosive nature of the data at individual CCG area.



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Hormones: Pregnancy Tests

Robert Jenrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the Government's policy is on the conclusions of the Report of the Commission on Human Medicines’ Expert Working Group on Hormone Pregnancy Tests, published in November 2017.

Steve Brine: The Commission on Human Medicines published the report of its Expert Working Group on Hormone Pregnancy Tests on 15 November 2017. This was the culmination of an extensive and thorough review of all the available relevant evidence on a possible association between Hormone Pregnancy Tests and adverse outcomes of pregnancy by a panel comprising independent experts of international standing in relevant scientific and medical specialisms. The Expert Working Group’s overall finding, endorsed by the Commission on Human Medicines, was that the available scientific evidence, taking all aspects into consideration, did not support a causal association between the use of Hormone Pregnancy Tests, such as Primodos, during early pregnancy and adverse outcomes of pregnancy, including miscarriage, stillbirth or congenital anomalies. The Expert Working Group also made a number of important, forward-looking recommendations to further strengthen the systems in place for detecting, evaluating, managing and communicating safety concerns associated with use of medicines in early pregnancy. Departmental ministers have accepted the report’s conclusions and recommendations. The focus is now on implementing these recommendations.

Mental Illness: Surveys

Helen Whately: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what are the reasons for the time taken to publish the 2014 Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Survey in the UK Data Archive; and when he expects an approval system for researchers to apply for access to data in that archive to be implemented.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The 2014 Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Survey (APMS) in the UK Data Archive was published on 29 September 2016. As the APMS data was identified as containing particularly sensitive data, additional technical disclosure control measures were considered necessary by the NHS Digital Disclosure Control Panel to minimise the risk of re-identification. The complexity of these requirements and the rigorous level of testing required given the sensitivity of the data have resulted in the delays to making the dataset available for secondary use. A version of the APMS 2014 dataset has been transferred to the UK Data Service, and researchers are now able to apply for access using the NHS Digital on-line Data Access Request Service available at.https://dataaccessrequest.hscic.gov.uk/

Abortion: Northern Ireland

Christine Jardine: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on changes to the legal status of abortion in Northern Ireland.

Jackie Doyle-Price: There have been no discussions with Cabinet colleagues on this issue. The legal status of abortion in Northern Ireland is a devolved matter.

Maternity Services

Henry Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many maternity beds there were in each of the last five years.

Mr Philip Dunne: NHS England publishes quarterly data from all National Health Service organisations that are open overnight or day only. This includes the number of maternity beds. The latest data published is from Quarter 2 from 2017-18. This data is available at the link below:https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/bed-availability-and-occupancy/bed-data-overnight/

GP at Hand

Jo Platt: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment his Department has made of the financial implications to GP surgeries as a result of the NHS suggested eligibility criteria for the GP at Hand Service which deems those with complex medical needs illegible; and if he will make a statement.

Steve Brine: People with complex medical needs are not automatically ineligible to register with GP at Hand, however for some patients it may be more clinically appropriate to register with a practice closer to where they live. A clinical review of the GP at Hand service has already been undertaken by NHS England and the Hammersmith and Fulham Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG). The clinical review recommends on-going assessment of the wider system impacts of the service in the independent evaluation being commissioned by the CCG.

Compulsorily Detained Mental Patients: Addictions

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many people in contact with addictions services in (a) Liverpool and (b) England have been detained under the Mental Health Act since 2012.

Jackie Doyle-Price: This information is not collected in the format requested.

NHS Trusts: Finance

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many NHS Trusts are in the Distressed Cash regime?

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much has been borrowed under the Distressed Cash Regime in total for each month of the last 12 months.

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the interest rate is for loans from the Distressed Cash Regime.

Mr Philip Dunne: 93 trusts drew down a loan or a number of loans under the distressed cash regime over the past 12 months. The total value borrowed over the period was £3.7 billion. The capital element was £217 million and the remainder was used for running costs. The following table shows the amount borrowed under the Distressed Cash Regime in total for each month of the last 12 months. MonthAmountDecember 2016£186 millionJanuary 2017£856 millionFebruary 2017£465 millionMarch 2017£505 millionApril 2017£149 millionMay 2017£227 millionJune 2017£211 millionJuly 2017£194 millionAugust 2017£125 millionSeptember 2017£293 millionOctober 2017£223 millionNovember 2017£258 million The interest rates attached to these loans are either 1.5%, 3.5% or 6%. The 6% rate is usually reserved for those trusts in Financial Special Measures (FSM). However, those coming out of FSM with three months of NHS Improvement benchmarked performance will no longer be charged 6% on further loans.

Mental Illness: Employment

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 7 July to Question 1686, if he will adopt the recommendations of Thriving at Work: a review of mental health and employers, to reform mental health practices in the work place.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The Prime Minister welcomed the review, and has accepted the review’s recommendations that apply to the Civil Service and NHS England as employers. The Government will support and encourage the wider public sector in taking forward the recommendations wherever possible. It is our hope that responsible employers will choose to adopt the mental health core standards and improve their workplace environment, with recommendations for trade bodies, regulators and the Government supporting them in making this happen. The Government will respond to the full review as a part of our response to the consultation on the Work, Health and Disability Green Paper.

Sepsis

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether he has plans to create a sepsis registry to capture key information on patients.

Mr Philip Dunne: A second ‘Cross-system Sepsis Action Plan’ was published in September 2017. It outlines the activities and outputs of the Cross-System Sepsis Programme Board over the next 12 months. The Action Plan includes evaluating the possibility of a virtual sepsis registry. This evaluation work is being undertaken currently.

Sepsis

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to support implementation of the sepsis action plan.

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what plans he has to provide public education on sepsis cases in adults.

Mr Philip Dunne: The Department supports the activities and outputs of the NHS England cross-system sepsis programme board, and specifically the activities set out in the Second Cross-System Action Plan which was published in September 2017 and brings together the work on sepsis that is being taken forward nationally in the National Health Service in England. The Action Plan includes activities on raising awareness and education for all health care professionals assessing patients with infections.

Sepsis: World Health Organisation

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if the Government plans to implement the action points from the World Health Organisation Resolution on Sepsis, agreed on 26 March 2017.

Mr Philip Dunne: In May 2017 the World Health Assembly adopted a resolution to “improve, prevent, diagnose, and manage sepsis”, making sepsis a global health priority for the World Health Organization (WHO). The resolution urges governments to develop national action plans in collaboration with the professions and patient-advocacy groups to strengthen policies and processes related to sepsis. The NHS England cross-system sepsis programme board, which includes stakeholders from across the health and care landscape, patient groups and professional bodies, published the first Cross-System Sepsis Action Plan in 2015. With the publication of the second Cross-system Sepsis Action Plan in September 2017, we will maintain our focus on improving prevention and treatment of sepsis. The cross-system Action Plan covers a range of actions from the WHO resolution that are appropriate to the national context.

Women and Equalities

Local Government: Equality

Jo Stevens: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what form of consultation the Government plans to undertake with local authorities in relation to the planned indicators to measure progress on Sustainable Development Goal 5.

Anne Milton: The Ofiice for National Statistics (ONS) have recently undertaken a comprehensive public consultation on data sources which is now complete. They will publish their response to the consultation in December. The government will be implementating all of the Sustainable Development Goals. The ONS are reporting on the global indicators on behalf of the government through an online platform which is now live. In addition, the government will be reporting progress against delivery of the global goals through the Single Departmental Plan process.